


THIS MEANS WAR

by Sourwolf_sterek32



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Daryl Needs a Hug, Daryl loves it, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Reader Needs a Hug, Reader is Jesus' twin sister, Whisperers, injuries, jesus is a good brother, reader is a badass, saviours - Freeform, the walking dead season 9
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 64,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21557521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sourwolf_sterek32/pseuds/Sourwolf_sterek32
Summary: It’s been nearly two years since the war with the Saviours ended. You and Daryl now ran the Sanctuary together and for once life was starting to look good. However, little did you know, your whole world was going to come crashing down around you very soon and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s), Daryl Dixon/Reader, Daryl Dixon/You
Comments: 37
Kudos: 57





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Quick disclaimer- I wrote most of this fic before the Season 10 trailer even aired so this fic follows the story line of Season 9, but then I sorta create my own ending for the Whisperers arc, so I hope you guys like it xx

Your life had never been what most people called 'normal'.

Growing up in a group home was difficult, especially when people tried separating you and your twin brother, Paul Rovia. You refused to go anywhere without him and he refused to go anywhere without you. The two of you always said, it was either both of you or neither of you.

You and Paul hadn't always been orphans. You grew up with loving and caring parents, went to a normal school and actually had friends.

But, one morning your parents were driving the two of you to school, following behind a semi-truck on the highway while you and Paul were arguing in the backseat.

You couldn't even remember what you were arguing about, probably something pointless. But, it was clearly enough for your father to turn around in the drivers seat and tell you guys to shut up.

It wasn't until you heard your mother scream that you realised the semi-truck in front of you had suddenly braked causing your father to quickly turn back around and hit his breaks. But, it was too late.

Your car crashed straight into the back of the truck. The front of the small car completely crushed, killing your parents instantly. The two of you were only eight years old at the time and didn't have any other relatives, so you were put in an orphanage and then a group home.

Neither of your ever talked about that day, almost as if it never happened, but it did and neither would never forget it.

Living in a group home was hard to get used to. There were so many kids always running around and you soon realised the only time it was ever quiet was in the middle of the night.

You and Paul used to be really sociable kids, always trying to make new friends, but after the accident you both just stuck to yourselves.

There was a school there and fortunately you and Paul were in all the same classes, except while he had martial arts class, you had archery class. It was good having those extra activities for the kids to pick from, they were fun and for those 45 minutes a day it made you forget all the problems in your life.

Not many people were interested in adopting both you and Paul, which meant you remained at the group home until you were 18. Then, got moved into shared housing in a completely different town.

It took you a while to get used to the shared housing, but you were already used to being around a lot of people so it wasn't too bad. Everyone got along and you both quickly got jobs to pay for rent and food.

Paul started working as martial arts instructor and he was damn good at it too, while you starting helping the local construction workers and builders.

You weren't qualified to be a proper labourer or construction worker, but they badly needed workers so they hired you. The work was hard and tiring, but it paid well and even though you were only given the shit jobs like digging holes and knocking down walls, you still learnt a lot every day.

To your surprise, you and Paul were still living in the shared housing with the same housemates, nearly five years later. You all got along really well and since everyone worked in town there hadn't been any reason to move out. Plus, the rent was cheap with the five of you splitting it.

-

You had just gotten home after work grabbing a cool beer out the fridge, enjoying the quiet empty house while it lasted. You had spent the past eight hours knocking down brick walls with a sledge hammer and although it was a good arm workout, you were absolutely exhausted.

"Hey! You're home early." Paul's voice suddenly called out.

You looked over the back of the couch to find him walking through the door, sporting his favourite beanie. You had bought him that beanie years ago for his birthday as a joke, but turned out he actually liked it and had basically worn it ever since.

"Thank God." You sighed taking a sip of your drink as you rested your feet on the wooden coffee table while sitting on the couch.

"Tough day?" He asked from somewhere behind you before he jumped over the back of couch, landing next to you. "Let me guess, you were knocking down more walls today?"

"Yep. While the other workers got to drive around in nice air conditioned bulldozers and front-end loaders all day." You replied glancing over at your brother as he grabbed the remote turning on the tv.

"That's because they're all qualified and you're not. But hey, on the bright side you might actually have bigger muscles than me." Paul responded, poking your bicep before pulling up the sleeves of his shirt and looking at his own muscles causing you to laugh.

You were definitely stronger than most women and if you were being honest probably some men too, but you liked it that way. You liked being just as strong as the guys at work and you knew if anyone tried giving you trouble then you'd be strong enough to defend yourself, especially with Paul having taught you martial arts and hand to hand combat.

"You're an idiot." You chuckled shaking your head at him before you turned your attention back to the tv, watching as Paul channel surfed, clearly unable to find something worth watching.

"Wait, shouldn't you be packing? Aren't you, Adam and Tim leaving for your road trip tomorrow?" You asked only just remembering that it was tomorrow, meaning it was just going to be you and Emily in the house for the next two weeks.

"I packed most of it this morning. Once the others get home from work I'll put my bags in Adams van." Paul replied and you nodded, handing him your bottle of beer as he took it and took a few sips.

"You're gonna miss me so much." He teased and you rolled your eyes.

"Well I definitely won't miss that God awful beanie." You responded as you pulled the dirty grey beanie off his head and threw it across the room in the general direction of the rubbish bin.

"You missed the bin by a mile." Paul snorted as he ran his fingers through his long hair trying to flatten it out before something clearly caught his attention on the tv as he quickly turned up the volume.

"What the hell?" He muttered causing you to turn back to the tv in confusion and that's when you saw the news headline ' _Deadly virus spreading through Canada_.'

But, they didn't elaborate on the virus or show any footage of it. Where did the virus come from? What were the symptoms of the virus? Was it treatable? Why isn't the news talking about it?

"I don't want you going on that road trip." You quickly said, not taking your eyes off the tv as you stared at the news headline at the bottom of the screen. If this virus somehow spreads down into America you did not want your brother on the other side of the country. But before he even had a chance to reply the rest of your housemates all walked through the front door.

"We bought pizza!" Adam shouted as you glanced over your shoulder to find him, Tim and Emily all walking into the house, boxes of pizza and bottles of soda filling their arms.

"Have you guys heard about the virus spreading in Canada?" Paul questioned as you moved your beer off the coffee table allowing the others to place the pizza and drinks on top.

"Yeah, it's nothing. It's probably just the Government trying to scare us, there isn't any deadly virus. If there was we would have heard about it a lot earlier and there would be more news on it." Tim replied casually and you nodded, he had a fair point. If this virus was real then why hadn't the Government made an official statement about it?

"So you think it'll be okay for you guys to still go on that road trip?" You asked, still slightly unsure about the situation.

"Hell yes! Plus we'll be on the other side of the country, nowhere near the Canadian boarder." Adam replied as he grabbed a slice of pizza while Emily began talking about the cute bartender down the road causing the guys to groan in annoyance and you both laughed. But, little did you know it was about to be the last afternoon the five of you were happy and together.

In less than seven days the whole world turned to chaos.

Dead people were running around the streets trying to eat the living. The cops and all law enforcement had just vanished. Every store and business had shutdown and as far as you could tell 50 percent of the population had turned into monsters.

Before phone service got cut off Paul had told you to pack up the car and get to Atlanta. He said he was on his way there and that he would meet you at the army base that was set up.

Hence, why right now you were stuck on the side of the highway. The tall skyscraper buildings of Atlanta city visible in the distance while you were bent over the hood of your car trying to pinpoint why your old rusty car decided to die.

You had been on the road for a couple of days and were onto your last jerry can of fuel when you car finally decided to give up.

"Stupid piece of junk." You yelled in annoyance as you kicked the side of your car in frustration. What were you going to do now? You were as good as dead out here on the side of the road with nothing but your compound bow and a car that won't start.

It was at least a two hour walk before you reached Atlanta, but you knew better than to just walk all that way across unknown territory. Who knew how many monsters were actually out there. God, you were a sitting duck right now.

There was no point trying to figure out what was wrong with the vehicle because you knew you'd never be able to fix it. The only things you knew about cars were how to change tyres and check the oil, that was it. You weren't a mechanic, you were a construction worker, you could fix buildings and repair fences no problem, but a car? Hell no.

Before you even had a chance to close the hood of your car sudden groans and growls of those monsters began to fill the air and you felt the hairs on your arms stand up.

You quickly spun around scanning the road around you and spotted a large group of monsters stumbling out the woods in your direction.

"Shit." You whispered as you scrambled to the passenger side door, grabbing your compound bow out before you turned back to the monsters.

There had to be at least 15 of them and you only had eight arrows in your quiver attached to the side of your bow. Shit.

You knew you shouldn't have yelled earlier. Noise attracts the monsters, what were you thinking?! God, you wished Paul was here, he was the smart one out of the two of you. He always knew what to do, especially in tricky situations. Think Y/N, what would your brother do?

You glanced around your surroundings, trying to think of a way out of this mess when it hit you. The car. You quickly slammed the hood of your car down and climbed on top, jumping onto the roof.

You stood on the roof for a few seconds as you stared at the monsters 20 metres down the road before you nocked an arrow onto the string of your bow.

Your hands were shaking and your heartbeat was out of control, but you knew you could do this. You've killed a few of them before, why not add another 15 to the list?

You pulled your bow back until the string touched your cheek and hovered the sights over the closest monsters head. You took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled as you released the string, watching as the arrow landed perfectly between the monsters eyes before you quickly nocked another arrow and fired again.

You got in a quick, smooth rhythm as you released each arrow, killing the monsters instantly. It was just like target practice, but with moving targets that just so happen to want to eat you.

You were so focused on killing the monsters you didn't even realised you had used your last arrow until you went to reach for another one only to find no more on your quiver. Shit.

More and more monsters had stumbled out from the woods, clearly being drawn in from the loud groans of the others. What the hell were you going to do?

By now the monsters had reached your car, all of them pressed up against the rusty paint, their arms reaching up towards the roof where you were standing. You thought you would be out of arms reach on top of the roof, but you were wrong.

Rotten hands wrapped around your ankles in a surprisingly strong grip pulling you down towards them as you landed on your ass still on top of the roof.

Panic began to set in as you frantically tried kicking their hands off your feet while slamming the end of your bow against the closest ones skull, killing it instantly. But there were too many.

You wouldn't be able to fight them all off, not when you were still trying to fight against their grips around your ankles. This was it. No, this couldn't be the end. You had to find Paul, you were not dying like this.

Shaking your head you tightened your grip on your bow and slammed it into the head of another monster. If this really was the end then you were going to go down fighting.

You're not sure how many monsters you had killed with the end of your bow, but it seemed to not even make a dent in the small herd, that was until gunshots echoed in the air.

You watched in shock as the monsters began to drop like flies, but it wasn't until the last one was killed that you actually processed the fact that there was someone near you with a gun. Shit, that probably wasn't good.

You quickly glanced behind you spotting a man on a brown horse trotting towards you along the empty road. You were surprised to see that he was wearing a sheriff's uniform, but you were more focused on the fact that he had a gun aimed at you.

"Drop the bow." The man called watching you cautiously as he stopped his horse a few metres behind your car.

"I'm pretty sure it has to have an arrow in it to be dangerous." You replied in a light tone trying to show this man that you didn't want any trouble as you placed your bow on the car roof beside you.

"Yeah, you're probably right. But, better safe than sorry." The stranger replied with a slight chuckle as holstered his gun and adjusted the strap of his bag that was slung over his shoulder.

You spotted what looked to be the barrel of a couple shotguns sticking out the top of the bag. This man was clearly packing heavy equipment, but he seemed nice enough.

"My name's Rick Grimes. What's yours?"

"Y/N. Y/N Rovia." You answered as you jumped down from the roof of your car, being careful not to land on any of the dead corpses as you did.

"I should probably say thank you for your help with this. Not sure I would've lasted much longer, so thanks." You said motioning towards all the dead monsters on the road.

"No problem. This the first time you've come in contact with walkers up close?" Rick asked curiously. Walkers? So that's what he calls these monsters.

"First time I've come across so many at once. I've been on the road for a few days now, trying to get to Atlanta." You replied nodding in the direction of the large city.

"Me too. Trying to find my family." Rick answered and you nodded in understanding.

"I'm trying to find my brother." You simply replied as you began walking over to the nearest walker with an arrow through it. "I'm just retrieving my arrows, so don't shoot me." You warned, half joking but being serious at the same time.

"Need a ride to Atlanta?" Rick suddenly asked after a few seconds of silence, catching you off guard as you pulled the last arrow out and turned back towards him.

At first you thought he was joking, but by the look on his face he was being dead serious. Your car was broken and it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to walk there without coming across another herd. But, you didn't know this man, you just met him like five minutes ago for crying out loud. But, you needed to get to Atlanta, that's where Paul said he would be. You had to find your brother, nothing else mattered.

"Alright. But just so you know, if you try anything, it won't end well for you." You warned causing Rick to smile slightly before he patted the back of the horse behind him. What were you getting yourself into? A man shows up out of nowhere in a sheriff's uniform with a bag full of guns... what could go wrong?

"Duly noted." He replied and you nodded as you quickly clipped your arrows into the quiver on your bow before opening the drivers side door of your car.

Leaning into the car you grabbed your long silver chained necklace that was hanging from the revision mirror, quickly slipping it over your head as you tucked it in underneath your black tank top. It was a necklace Paul had given you and had a photo of the two of you inside the locket. You'd never leave it behind.

The two of rode for nearly an hour before you finally reached the city and that was when all your hope got crushed. The city was deserted.

A few stray walkers were stumbling along the streets here and there, but that was it. There was no way an army base was still up and running here which meant Paul had either been here when the base fell or he left. Either way, you knew the chances of finding your brother had just turned from unlikely to near impossible.

"Oh my God." You gasped staring at the broken down army tank in the middle of the street. A couple crows feeding on a dead body on top of it that was clearly wearing an army uniform.

"This doesn't mean your brother was here when the base got overrun." Rick replied softly as he slowed the horse and glanced over his shoulder at you and you nodded.

During your ride to the city the two of you got to know each other a little bit. He told you about his wife and son and how he woke up from a coma a few days ago. While you told him about your brother and explained how this whole thing started, since he wasn't awake when it did.

"Can you see that helicopter?" Rick suddenly questioned, his voice sounding uncertain as he stared up at the sky and you followed his line of sight, spotting the reflection of a helicopter on one of the buildings.

Before you even had a chance to respond Rick quickly took off down the street forcing you to tighten your grip on his gun bag so you didn't fall off the back of the horse.

You were so focused on the helicopter in the sky, you didn't even see the large herd of walkers down a side street until it was too late.

Rick quickly forced the horse to stop in its tracks as you came face to face with over 50 walkers. Holy shit. This was not good. This was really not good.

"Hold on!" Rick yelled as he turned the horse around and raced back down the way you had just came, but as you got near the tank again you spotted another herd in front of you, cutting you off. You were trapped.

The next few minutes went by in a flash as the walkers began trying to grab the horse forcing it to fall to the ground, throwing you and Rick off along the way.

You could hear the pained cries of the horse as the walkers began to eat it alive and you forced yourself to turn away as you spotted your bow on the ground beside you. You quickly grabbed your bow and turned around to find Rick lying on the ground completely in shock as walkers began circling in on the two of you.

"Rick! Under the tank!" You yelled and in a split second the two of you crawled under the large metal machine.

You remembered watching some World War II film years ago that did a special feature on military tanks and you knew there was a door underneath that lead inside the tank. At least you hoped there was.

You glanced over at Rick who was crawling besides you, the panic clearly evident on his face as the walkers slowly began following you underneath. You quickly turned your attention back to the bottom of the tank above you as your eyes scanned the metal looking for the door and you sighed with relief once your spotted it.

You looked back over at Rick who was about to raise his gun to his head before you quickly grabbed his hand, stopping him instantly.

"Through here!" You yelled slamming the door open as you threw your bow inside and climbed in before reaching down and helping Rick up.

"Thank you." Rick sighed as the two of you sat down opposite each other, your backs resting against the walls of the tank while you tried to catch your breath.

After a few seconds passed you slowly moved towards the dead army man on the floor of the tank and pulled his handgun out from his holster.

You checked the clip noticing the guy had a few bullets left which was better than nothing, but what were you meant to do now? You were literally stuck inside a tank that was surrounded by walkers.

"Hey, you guys?" A voice suddenly called through the radio inside the tank, catching both of yours attention as your heads snapped around towards the radio.

You quickly glanced over at Rick who was staring at the radio with the same shocked expression as you. You weren't alone.

"Dumbasses? Yeah, you two in the tank."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoilers for season 9

You decided to stick with Rick and this new group of people and it turned out to be the best decision you ever made.

You met a lot of new people, many who became like family to you now. But, you also lost a lot of people along the way and you wouldn't be where you were today if it wasn't for them.

Your group had been through hell and back to say the least. You survived the Governor, the cannibals at Terminus, the Wolves that attacked Alexandria and the Saviours. And through all of that you still managed to find your twin brother, Paul. Against all odds you had found your brother in this new world, well more like he found Rick and Daryl, but same thing.

You and Rick became best friends after that day in Atlanta while you were stuck in the tank. The two of you always helped and looked out for one another, but it was Daryl who you became closest too.

At first you weren't too sure about the other archer. He was rough around the edges and had a hot temper, but slowly he began to let you in and you started to see Daryl for who he really was.

You knew about his abusive past, you had seen the scars on his back that his own father had put on him. He had a rough life before the whole world ended, but he never lost who he was; a good man with a heart of gold.

As the years went on the two of you became good friends, but it wasn't until you found each other again after the fall of the prison that your true feelings for each other were revealed and you had been inseparable ever since. Which was why right now you were lying awake beside him in your bed at Sanctuary.

It's been a year and a half since the war with the Saviours ended, but nothing felt the same anymore. Rick had put you and Daryl in charge at the Sanctuary, saying that if anyone could get Sanctuary back up and running it was you two.

You still hated the fact that Rick and Michonne decided to let Negan and the rest of the Saviours live. Even though Negan was locked in a cell for the rest of his life and his people weren't allowed to carry guns, it still didn't sit right with you and you knew Daryl felt the same.

Alexandria, Hilltop, Kingdom, Oceanside and Sanctuary all traded and helped each other out, but it just felt wrong being so far away from your family.

It had been weeks since you last saw Rick and probably months since you last saw your brother. You hated living at Sanctuary, you never liked being stuck behind the walls at Alexandria and Sanctuary was no different.

You and Daryl were better out there, neither of you liked being cooped up inside the fences of Sanctuary with people you mostly hated. But, you understood why it was so important to make sure the Sanctuary didn't fail and why Rick wanted it to work so badly, but you were getting real close to giving up.

You laid on your back staring up at the ceiling, the room you shared with Daryl lit up by a singular candle light on your bedside table. You could hear Daryl's soft snores from beside you as you turned your head towards him to find him facing you, his long hair covering most of his face as he slept peacefully.

You could never get a full nights sleep at this place and you knew Daryl sometimes had difficulty sleeping here as well. Hell, he was held hostage and tortured at this very place only a couple years ago for crying out loud, yet he seemed to be handling it better than you.

With a sigh you slowly climbed out of bed, being careful not to wake Daryl as you pulled on your jeans and boots, and clipped on you belt containing your handgun and machete.

You grabbed your compound bow that you had leaning against the side of the bed before making your way out the room as you quietly closed the door behind yourself.

You and Daryl didn't live in the main building of Sanctuary like everyone else, the two of you lived in the small room above the garage beside the main building.

Neither of you wanted to sleep in that building, so when Arat suggested for you guys to take the hut above the garage you both jumped at the idea.

You walked down the stairs slowly since you could barely see where you were stepping before you reached the ground floor, grabbing a flashlight from the work bench.

Flicking the torch on, you quickly scanned the garage making sure all the motorcycles and tools were still all there before you made your way outside, walking towards the front gate.

You could see the outline of the man on guard as he slowly paced the front gate. His hand resting on his knife sheath as scanned the edge of the woods outside the fence with his torch.

"Morning, Boss Lady." Jed's voice suddenly called and you were half surprised he could tell it was you since you could barely see him in the dark night.

"Everything all good out here?" You asked not bothering to greet him back, you knew he was only pretending to be friendly.

"Been fairly quiet." He answered as you finally reached the front gate and nodded in response before opening the gate and walking out.

"You walking the perimeter again? Didn't you do that early yesterday morning too?" He questioned, shutting the gate behind you as he stared at you though the wire mesh.

"Yep." You simply responded and began walking off following the fence line of Sanctuary.

Jed was right, you did do this yesterday, in fact you did it most nights when you couldn't sleep. There was just something about being outside the fences and killing the occasional walker that seemed to relax you, as stupid as that sounds.

By the time the sun started to rise you managed to walk nearly five laps of the fence line before you wandered back into Sanctuary and began working on your quad bike in the garage.

Over the years you slowly got to know your way around car engines along with motorcycles, thanks to Daryl. But, you were nowhere near as good as him, you would much rather stick to construction work which you knew you were good at.

A few Saviours slowly joined you in the garage working on other bikes and vehicles, but they didn't speak to you unless they needed help with something.

"Mornin', sunshine." Daryl's voice called, appearing behind you as he kissed the top of your head.

You smiled glancing over your shoulder to find Daryl standing behind you, holding his hand out for you to take.

"Good morning." You greeted taking Daryl's hand as he helped you to his feet before handing you the rag he had tucked in his back pocket.

"Thank you." You said as you wiped the grease off your hands before tucking the rag back into Daryl's jeans pocket as you kissed him. Your arms wrapping around his neck as the stubble along his face rubbed against your skin.

"This is the sixth mornin' in a row where I've waken up to an empty bed. Everythin' alright?" Daryl asked as he slowly pulled away.

"Yeah, just figured I'd get an early start." You replied with a shrug, but Daryl clearly didn't believe you as he continued staring at you.

"I'm fine, I just miss being out there. We're better out there, not cooped up inside these fences. I'm looking forward to our supply run today though." You added looking up at Daryl as he quickly ducked his head and instantly you knew something was wrong. "What?"

"I want ya to stay here while we go on that supply run to DC." Daryl stated causing you to stare at him in confusion? Why did he want you to stay back? You always went on supply runs.

"I need someone to stay back with Eugene and watch this place. I don't trust none of these pricks." He added glancing around the garage at the four Saviours who were working on bikes.

"So why does it have to be me? Why can't Rosita stay here?" You questioned taking a step backwards as you leant against your quad bike, not taking your eyes off Daryl.

" 'Cause these Saviours listen to ya, hell most of 'em are scared of ya, but not Rosita." Daryl responded, keeping his voice low so the others in the room didn't hear, but before you could respond Laura walked into the room.

"Daryl. Y/N." She called walking over to the two of you and you knew something was up by the tone in her voice. Great what was broken now?

"Justin and Arat are using a walker as a scarecrow in the corn crops. Just thought you guys should know."

"We'll handle it." Daryl muttered as you nodded your thanks to Laura who was probably the only Saviour you didn't hate.

You watched as Laura left the garage before you began walking out as well. If Daryl wanted you to stay here while he went on the supply run then he was going to deal with this stupid problem before he left.

"Where are ya goin'?" Daryl called from behind you.

"Doesn't matter. Say hi to my brother and the others for me once you finish dealing with the walker scarecrow problem." You responded glancing over your shoulder towards him before walking out the garage.

You didn't know where you were going, but you knew if you stayed there then things would have gotten heated. You hated arguing with Daryl and you were glad that it rarely happened, but when he tells you to stay back during a hunting trip or supply run then you get annoyed. Especially when said supply run was to a museum in DC with nearly all your old group going.

You decided to spend most the day reinforcing the East side fence of Sanctuary. The wire fence was staring to get wobbly, not wobbly enough for it to be a danger hazard but you needed something to do to keep your mind busy. Rosita had taken your quad bike on the supply run since she didn't know how to ride a motorcycle, so you couldn't do anymore work on your quad.

You weren't sure how much time you spend working on the fence, but by the time the sun started to set you figured you should head back inside the main building of Sanctuary and make sure everything is running smoothly.

You walked through the front door of Sanctuary to find most of the Saviours all spread out around the main room on tables and chairs, either eating tea or relaxing for the night. Candle sticks lit up the building as you scanned the crowd of Saviours making sure nobody was causing any trouble.

You sat down on one of the far empty tables keeping an eye on everyone in room while you waited for Daryl and Rosita to return from the supply run.

"Rick Grimes is here!" A Saviour suddenly declared as if on cue when the front doors opened. Wait, why would Rick be here? Wasn't everyone going back to their communities after the run?

A few of the Saviours called out random things towards Rick, one even asking if Negan was suffering before you spotted the familiar face walk around the corner followed by Daryl, Michonne, Carol, Ezekiel, Jerry, Aaron and Rosita.

You stood up from the table and began walking towards the group on the other side of the room as Eugene and Laura approached Daryl.

"Hello. All was well in your absence, other than a certain cabal of Saviours slinging me some serious stink-eye, but I've compiled a list of items that need your semi-immediate attention. Y/N has already seen it." Eugene quickly explained as Daryl shook his head and kept walking.

Okay something was defiantly wrong, first people from Alexandria and Kingdom showing up and now Daryl was acting off. What happened?

"Not now, man."

"I checked out the supplies. It's a pretty good haul. You or Y/N should let everybody know." Laura tried to say, but again Daryl shook his head cutting her off.

"We ain't gettin' up on a stage 'n givin' a damn speech like him." Daryl responded angrily before turning back towards her. "It's bad timing. We just lost someone out there."

"Who?" You quickly questioned jogging the rest of the way towards the others as you felt your heart beating out of your chest with worry. It's been over a year since the last casualty, who was it?

"Ken, a kid from Hilltop." Rick answered looking over at you with sad eyes as you nodded taking in the information.

"He was the blacksmiths son, wasn't he? Shit, poor Maggie." You replied, how the hell was she meant to go back and give the news to the parents that their son had died? Nobody should ever have to go through that. "Everyone else okay though?"

"Yeah, but the main bridge got destroyed in the storm. We didn't have enough time to go the back-way home to Alexandria and Kingdom before dark, so looks like you'll have to deal with us for a night." Rick explained and you smiled with a nod. It's been weeks since you had seen these guys, it would be good to catch up with them all.

You glanced over at Daryl who was already looking over at you as you gave him a small smile. You hated how you left things earlier. If Daryl had died on that supply run, the last memory you'd had of him would be getting angry and walking off and you hated yourself for that.

"Daryl." Michonne suddenly called just as you were about to speak.

"Does this happen often?" She questioned as you followed her line of sight in confusion when you spotted the Saviours graphite on the wall; _'Saviours Save Us!' 'WE ARE STILL NEGAN'_

"More 'n more since the crops been dyin'." Daryl responded glancing over at you with a questioning look, but you just shrugged your shoulders having no idea who wrote all that. How did you not spot that earlier?

"Eugene, you know who did that?" You asked turning back towards the others.

"That would be a negative."

"Justin. Clean that up." Daryl ordered, looking over towards one of the tables where the other man was sitting,

"How?"

"What do you mean, 'how'? Paint over it." Daryl responded and you could tell he was getting annoyed quickly.

"We just used up all the paint." Justin replied as if that was enough of an excuse not to worry about it.

"Then figure it out!" You snapped glaring at the Saviour before you grabbed Daryl's hand and walked back towards the others.

"We came back with farming tools, heirloom seeds. We're looking to the past to help us with the present. We're all gonna pitch in and make sure that Sanctuary has what it needs so y'all can get back on your feet." Rick announced, looking around at the crowd of Saviours as they began to applause.

"I need to talk to Rick. Are we okay?" Daryl asked from beside you, his voice uncertain as he looked over at you.

"We're good, Daryl. Go talk to Rick, I'll show the others where they can sleep." You replied giving him a gentle kiss before he walked off with Rick.

"What's up?" Rick asked as he followed Daryl up onto the catwalk away from everyone else.

"I don't wanna be the one leading these people no more, neither does Y/N." Daryl replied.

"Okay. Why?" Rick asked, leaning against the railing of the catwalk as he glanced over at his brother.

"I don't know. Bein' here behind these walls again. It just don't feel right, man. We're better out there, always have been." Daryl explained, leaning his forearms against the railings beside Rick.

"You and Y/N have kept this place together. You guys kept people in line here. We can't just let the Sanctuary fail after everything that's happened." Rick replied staring at Daryl who just shook his head.

"Man, it's gonna fail anyway. Nothin' grows here. It's a damn factory, man. Look, when Negan was around, he needed people to provide for him. It's still the same. Nothing's changed."

"It's different now. We give what we give willingly." Rick tried to argue as Daryl stared out over the lower floor of Sanctuary, watching as most the Saviours slowly wandered through the hallways towards their bedrooms.

"How long's that gonna last? Most of the bridges are out after the big storm. The highway's done. We've scavenged every drop of gas for miles. 'N we can't make enough corn fuel to run the cars or the trucks. Pretty soon, it's gonna be more than a day's ride from one spot to another." Daryl explained looking over at Rick who sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, it's on us to figure out how to make it work."

"Man, there ain't no 'us' anymore. Everyone's everywhere. That small group we had back in the beginnin', we could do anythin'. That was right. That's what I know." Daryl muttered turning back towards the lower floor.

"Well, do you two wanna come home to Alexandria then?" Rick asked.

"Nah. We'll go back to Hilltop, check on Maggie 'n the baby. Y/N hasn't seen her brother in months either." Daryl replied as Rick sighed.

"Well, you guys go, someone's got to take your place. Rosita and Eugene are headed to Oceanside next. Maggie's sending food, but not people, and Kingdom's got its own problems rebuilding after losing its fighters. If Alexandria sends another two people out, I could use the help back home." Rick stated as Daryl looked over at him for a few seconds before turning back towards the lower level not knowing what else to say. "We're not together because things have changed."

"Mm-hmm. The thing is, you changed 'em, Rick. But I get it." Daryl responded as he clasped Ricks shoulder before walking off.

***Meanwhile***

"The first six doors on your left are spare rooms. But, it's no five star hotel, there are extra blankets in cupboards in each of the rooms if you need." You informed motioning towards the bedroom doors to the left side of the hallway before turning back towards your friends.

"What? No balcony with a view? I'm going to leave you guys a bad review." Aaron joked causing you to laugh.

Jerry and Michonne both said goodnight as they walked into the first two bedrooms leaving you in the hallway with Aaron and Ezekiel.

"How's things going back at the Kingdom, Zeke?" You asked leaning back against the wall as you looked over at the other man who chuckled at the nickname you had given. You didn't like referring to him as 'King' and 'Ezekiel' was too long, so one day you compromised and called him 'Zeke' and he didn't seem to mind so the nickname stuck.

"Definitely getting better as the weeks pass. Henry misses you though, you should come by sometime. I'm sure everyone would love to see you." Ezekiel replied and you smiled. Henry was a good kid, he was like a nephew to you, especially now since he referred to Carol as his mother.

"I will definitely do that." You replied with a grin as he held his arms out pulling you into a hug.

"In case I don't see you before we leave in the morn. Goodnight, Y/N. Thank you for the hospitality." He said pulling away as you rolled your eyes.

"You're always welcome here, Zeke. Goodnight." You responded watching him walk into one of the spare bedrooms as you stared at the door.

You wished you could visit the Kingdom and see Henry or visit Hilltop and see your brother, or even visit Alexandria and see Judith. You hadn't been back 'home' since Rick put Negan in that cell though, you just couldn't bring yourself to do it, not after everything he had done. God, Judith must be so big by now. Would she still even remember you? You hoped so.

Suddenly, someone grabbed your shoulder causing you to jump in surprise. You spun around to find Aaron standing behind you, quickly removing his hand in shock.

"Sorry. Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." He apologised as you sighed, relieved it was just him.

"My fault, I was just on another planet for a second there." You responded shaking your head, completely forgetting he was there.

"I get that, this place still gives me the creeps even after nearly two years." He admitted and you nodded in agreement as the two of you slowly began walking down the hallway.

"How's Gracie doing? I haven't seen her since the war ended." You asked looking over at Aaron who smiled hearing his daughters name.

"She's a lot bigger now, starting to get thick blonde hair too." He informed and you grinned picturing the little girl in your mind. "I know you don't want to come to Alexandria because of Negan, but it would be really good to see you and Daryl back home."

"Yeah, I know. One day we will." You replied with a soft smile as he pulled you into a tight hug. "Hope the bed's comfy enough for you." You teased hugging him back.

"One way to find out. Goodnight, Y/N." Aaron said, pulling away as you said goodnight back before he walked into his room.

After you walked a lap of the main building making sure everything was okay and the perimeter was secure, you wandered into the garage and upstairs to yours and Daryl's bedroom. You weren't surprised to find the bedroom empty, you had spotted him and Carol sitting outside talking a while ago so you figured he was still with her.

You shrugged off your bow from your back and placed it against the side of the bed before you began getting ready for bed. By the time you had climbed under the covers, Daryl finally walked through the door.

"Hey." You called, sitting up in bed slightly as Daryl rested his crossbow against his side of the bed before shrugging off his vest.

"M'sorry about makin' ya stay back-" He began apologising before you cut him off.

"It's cool. I know someone needed to stay back, sorry for just walking off like that." You replied giving Daryl an apologetic smile, watching as he pulled off his black button down shirt before climbing into bed beside you.

"Spoke to Rick about leavin' Sanctuary. He didn't seem to happy 'bout it, but Carol said she'd run this place for a bit 'n give us a break." Daryl explained, wrapping his arm around your shoulders pulling you closer to him as you rested your head on his chest.

"Hilltop?" You asked, slowly tracing your thumb in small circles over his chest by one of his tattoos.

"Yeah." Daryl replied as he kissed the top of your head, resting his hand over your shoulders. "I know ya miss, Jesus."

"Growing up, it was always just the two of us. I hated being apart from him when all of this started, but I had feeling he was still alive somewhere. I don't know how, maybe a twin thing I guess." You said shrugging your shoulders slightly as Daryl began playing with your hair.

"I get that, my brother used to be jackass, but I still didn't want to be away from him." He added and you smiled glad that Daryl was sharing and talking about this sort of stuff. He never used to talk about anything personal to you, but eventually he started to get more comfortable around you and started opening up to you about stuff that Rick probably didn't even know.

"Merle wasn't always a jackass, he could be nice when he wanted to be." You said softly and you felt Daryl nod slightly in agreement, his fingers still brushing through your hair, slowly.

"Thank you for talking to Rick, I know you don't like arguing and disagreeing with him-" You began to say before Daryl cut you off.

"Nah, I don't. But he can't expect us to stay here, ya barely sleep 'n I can't stand it behind these walls." Daryl mumbled as you lifted your head up towards him, moving your hand from his chest up to his jaw as you kissed his cheek before he tilted his head catching your lips with his.

"Try get some sleep, sunshine. We'll leave in the mornin'." Daryl whispered against your lips after several seconds, brushing your hair out of your face as he kissed you again before leaning over and turning the lantern off on the bedside table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, as you can see we start off right at the start of Season 9 and i’m pretty sure you all can guess the events that will unfold shortly for our group, so stay tuned.  
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I would love to hear your thoughts about it below. The next chapter should be up next weekend, but until then stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning you and Daryl packed the little belongings you had, strapping them to the back of his motorcycle and your quad bike.

Your compound bow was placed in the holder you made a few months ago that's built just in front of the handle bars for easy access. Daryl had his crossbow strapped to the back of his motorcycle like usual, taking up the room on his bike.

So, you had the rest of the gear strapped to the back of your quad. It wasn't much, just a couple backpacks with spare clothes and weapons inside.

The two of you followed Rick and Michonne to Hilltop, you and Daryl riding slower than usual since they were on horse back. But, you didn't mind as you sat back on your quad enjoying the wind in your face as you cruised down the old road.

You couldn't help the smile spreading across your face as the walls of Hilltop finally came into view. You didn't even have to wave or ask for the gates to be open as Tara began opening them the minute she saw yours and Daryl's bikes.

You gently eased on the breaks as you entered the community, following Daryl who parked by the Barrington House before you shut the engine off and dismounted the bike.

You spotted Maggie walking out the large building after no doubt hearing the bikes as the four of you began walking towards her. But, as you got closer you noticed a fresh cut and bruise on the side of her face.

"What happened?" You quickly questioned, sudden anger washing over you at the thought of someone laying their hands on your close friend.

"Gregory. He set up the blacksmith to try have me killed last night, he obviously failed thanks to Enid and Alden who came outside at just the right time. Enid was knocked on her head pretty bad though, needed stitches." Maggie explained sadly as you shook your head in frustration.

Gregory should have been dead a long time ago. No way in hell were you going to let him walk away after trying to murder someone and by the look in Maggies eye neither was she.

"I'm glad you're okay though." You replied, not knowing what else to say as you pulled her into a tight hug.

"Where's Enid? I wanna go check on her." You asked as you pulled away and Maggie nodded towards the Barrington House, meaning the young girl was in her bedroom.

You glanced over at Daryl as he nodded knowing you wanted to make sure Enid was okay, she was like a little sister to you.

You didn't really know her much when you first got to Alexandria until she started hanging around with Carl. After his death you stuck close to the girl, knowing how much Carls death impacted everyone, especially her. She was a sweet kid, always wanting to help out and she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, if you were honest she reminded you a lot of your younger self when you were a teenager.

Walking into the Barrington House you spotted a few familiar faces of civilians who lived at Hilltop. Most of which greeted you warmly knowing exactly who you were since the war with the Saviours.

You walked up the stairs, knowing her bedroom was next door to Maggies and spotted her door open.

Slowly you peeked your head in, spotting her asleep in bed as your brother placed a glass of water and what you assumed were pain killers on her bedside table.

"Hey, bro." You whispered not wanting to wake her up as Paul quickly turned around hearing your voice and his face broke out in a smile. "How is she?"

"Got a concussion, but she should be good in a few days." He replied softly, walking out Enid's room as he gently shut the door behind himself before pulling you into a tight hug.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually missed my annoying sister." He admitted with a chuckled.

"And I kinda missed my stupid brother." You responded breaking the hug as he shook his head with a chuckle. "Nice man bun too. Haven't seen you with your hair like that since before."

"It's practical, long hair can get annoying when your fighting walkers, or even just trying to teach kids martial arts." He replied and you smiled softly almost forgetting that he now taught lessons twice a week with the kids at Hilltop, sometimes even kids from Alexandria and Kingdom came and joined in.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I thought you and Daryl were at Sanctuary?"

"We were, but Carol's taking over for a bit so we could have some time away from that hell hole. Figured we'd come here and annoy you." You responded causing him to poke you with his elbow playfully reminding you of the old times when the two of you used to play fight and annoy each other all the time.

You and Paul talked for a while, catching up on the things you both missed out on.

Eventually you made your way to Maggie's office, spotting the door to the balcony open and then wandered out.

Rick and Maggie were sitting on chairs outside with baby Hershel in a cot beside them. You stopped in the doorway, hearing the last of their conversation.

"When we were fighting the Saviours, you told me that soon, you'd be the one following me. But you didn't, because I wasn't someone to follow. That changes now." You heard Maggie say as she stood up from her chair, noticing you in the door way as she gave you nod.

"It'll be dark soon. It's time to put the children to bed." She added glancing back to Rick before she grabbed Hershel out his cot and walked back inside, patting your shoulder as she walked passed.

"That seemed like a serious conversation. Everything alright?" You asked, once Maggie was out of earshot as you walked over to Rick who was still sitting on his seat.

"It will be." Rick sighed, rubbing his face with his hands as you leant back against the balcony railings facing him. "I know you have done so much for the Sanctuary, getting it back up and running, but I need to ask you for another favour."

"Shoot."

"I need your help fixing the bridge, with your construction worker experience it would really help. Most of us know how to use a hammer and nails, but we don't know anything else beyond that, like how to best build structures for long-term use or where's the best place to put support beams and you get my point. I've already spoken to Eugene and he's already working on a plan for the bridge, with all the physics and maths behind it, but we can't physical build it without you, unless we want it to collapse again." Rick explained, looking over at you with almost pleading eyes and you nodded.

"Of course, I'll help. I can't figure out physics for the life of me so as long as Eugene does all that, I can definitely help build the bridge. Gonna need a lot of workers though." You stated as you began thinking of people who'd be willing to help.

"I think I got that covered. Just need to find materials for it though, but I don't even know what type of material to use, maybe metal? But I don't know where to get enough metal from to built it." Rick responded with a sigh as he leant back in his chair.

"Rick, let me worry about this. We're gonna use wood to build it, we won't be able to find enough metal for it, plus wood is more lightweight and the weather doesn't damage it. I know a nice area, near that bridge where there's a bunch of old pine trees which would make good timber. Eugene probably has this sorted, but we should make a beam bridge, it's the simplest kind of the bridge and probably the most efficient." You explained as Rick stared at you both impressed and shocked at the same time.

You were suddenly glad you decided to be a construction worker before all this, rather than an office lady or something where your working skills would be of no use these days.

"And that is exactly why we'd be lost with you." Rick chuckled in disbelief as he looked up at your proudly. "Thank you."

"We're family, I'm always here if you need help."

-

The next few weeks went by fairly quickly.

Maggie had hung Gregory in a public execution style and you knew Rick and Michonne weren't too happy about it, but it wasn't their community, so they didn't say anything. You also noticed Paul wasn't too happy about the brutal death, but your brother never liked killing people to begin with, although he did know it had to be done and stood by Maggie.

The bridge was getting close to being complete. You were just finishing the main platform of the bridge today while building and securing the support beams on the sides.

You knew you'd be able to get the bridge built with everyone's help, but you never expected it to turn out so well.

You had a camp set up near the bridge and logging area for anyone who couldn't or didn't want to travel all the way back to their community after the days work.

It was a good little camp, lots of tents set up for everyone, along with an armoury, infirmary tent and main tent that Rick uses to hold meetings or discussions in.

The perimeter of the camp was secure with wire and traps so no walkers could get in and you had watch areas set up between all the communities to keep an eye on the two walker herds that you had seen near the area.

You and Daryl had been at the camp since it got built, there was no point going back to Hilltop when the two of you worked on the bridge everyday, so you had your own tent set up on the edge of the camp.

Daryl had his motorcycle at the camp too, but you left your quad at Hilltop since you could easily walk to the bridge or logging area so you didn't see the need to have it.

You were shocked with how many people from the different communities volunteered to help with the bridge, even young Henry wanted to help as he supplied water to all the workers most days.

It didn't seem like much, but without him handing out cups of water you probably would forget to drink. You didn't even realise how thirsty you were until the young boy handed you the water a few minutes ago.

You were currently securing a support beam on the bridge while Daryl and Aaron worked on securing one of the last wooden planks onto the long platform behind you. Most of the other workers around you were Saviours, but for the most part they kept to themselves as they hammered in nails and sawed off pieces of wood to the right size as required.

"So, I go in after her nap and pick her up, and the diaper just explodes all over me." You heard Aaron explain to Daryl as you glanced over your shoulder chuckling at the hand gestures he was making.

You turned back to the wooden beam in front of you and finished hammering in the last nail.

"Sounds like good times." Daryl responded as he grabbed more nails from the box between them.

"Oh, the best. You'll see. What? You'd be a great dad." Aaron stated glancing over at the archer.

"Yeah." Daryl replied and you felt your heart sink slightly, he would be an amazing father even if he didn't want to believe it, but sadly you couldn't do that for him.

"Surely you and Y/N have talked about kids before, right? She would be one hell of a mother, you'd be great parents." Aaron said happily, looking over at you as you turned around facing the two of them.

"I can't." You simply replied catching Daryl's eyes as he glanced up at you with sympathetic look before he continued hammering down the platform, his biceps bulging underneath his black rolled up long sleeve shirt.

"What do you mean? You would be a great mother!" Aaron responded, looking over at you in confusion as you shook your head.

"I can't have kids. I don't know the exact details, I was only a kid when it happened. But, I was in a car crash and nearly died apparently, but because of whatever happened I can't have kids." You explained, but you kept your voice low not wanting every other worker on the bridge to know about that.

The only people who knew were Daryl and Rick, and obviously your brother because he was there when it happened. But you never really told anyone else.

You felt bad because you couldn't give Daryl what most other females could and you hated the fact that he couldn't be a father because of you.

Hell, when you first told him back at the prison you were almost anticipating that he would break up with you, thinking that it would be a deal breaker for sure. But, he didn't. He was really understanding about it, knowing that it wasn't your fault and there was nothing you could do about it. He just told you that he loved you and still wanted to be with you, even if you couldn't give him a baby, he would still choose you.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, I had no idea. And here I am just blabbering away about babies." Aaron apologised, glancing between you and Daryl as you gave him a small smile.

"Don't apologise, man. It's fine." Daryl quickly replied putting the hammer down as he patted Aaron the shoulder who stilled looked really guilty about the whole thing.

"Listen to Daryl, and don't stop talking about Gracie, I love hearing your stories about her." You said looking over at the two of them and Aaron nodded giving you a small smile before you heard Henry shout, catching your attention.

"Back off!" Henry shouted and you glanced up just in time to see Justin chugging the hole cooler of water before Henry decked him with his stick.

"Hey, man, it's cool. I got my ass handed to me by a kid one time, too. Of course, I was six at the time." Jed teased, but you were barely listening to him as you watched Justin stand up off the ground in anger. He was about to walk over to Henry before Daryl quickly grabbed his arm.

"Hey. Kid's just doin' his job. Get back to work." Daryl ordered glaring at Justin as he let go of the mans arm.

You quickly stood up, taking a few steps towards them, not liking how tense and angry Justin was getting.

"I don't need your people telling me what to do. You're not my babysitter anymore." Justin responded, turning back towards Henry, but Daryl quickly grabbed his arm, stopping the Saviour from going anywhere near the kid as Justin quickly turned around swinging his fist towards Daryl. Shit.

You watched as Daryl easily dodged the fist before landing his own punch to the man's jaw, sending the Saviour falling backwards onto a pile of sand.

Every muscle in your body was telling you to run over there and help Daryl, but you knew he needed to do this. Hell, he probably wanted to do this. He needed to let out his anger and Justin needed to be taught a lesson and you knew Daryl could handle himself. So, you forced yourself to stay back despite wanting to punch a Saviour too.

You watched as Justin threw a handful of sand at Daryl, blinding him for a split second, when suddenly you saw Jed beginning to walk towards them. His hands were balled into fists by his side and you knew what he was going to do.

"Don't fucking touch him." You warned as you grabbed the back of Jed's shirt, pulling him away from Daryl.

You spared a glance over at Daryl to make sure he was okay as he landed a solid punch to Justin's face again.

Quickly, you turned your attention back to Jed, just in time to see his fist come flying towards your head.

"You ain't our boss lady no more." He yelled as his fist collided with your left cheek, pain erupting from the point of impact.

Now that was a mistake, you thought to yourself as you kicked the man in the balls. All your body weight was behind the kick as Jed groaned in pain grabbing his crutch.

You glanced over your shoulder towards Daryl as Justin landed a punch to his face, but before you could do anything about it you heard Aaron shout your name, and you knew by the tone of his voice that it was a warning.

You quickly turned back to Jed, ducking as you did so, assuming the man was trying to punch you again and you were right as he nearly fell over after missing your face entirely.

You took his moment of weakness to your advantage as you grabbed his head with your hands before slamming your knee up into his face, blood instantly pouring down his nose as you shoved him back.

You could hear all the other workers now cheering on the two fights that you and Daryl were in. Everyone now circling around the fistfights while Aaron and Regina tried holding people back from joining in.

"Hey! Hey! Break it up! Break it up right now!" Rick's voice yelled in the background somewhere, but like hell you were going to listen to him as you focused your attention back on Jed who was growling at you in anger.

You didn't even have enough time to react before he tackled you into the one of the wooden cross beams on the side of the bridge.

Your back slammed into the timber, knocking the air out of your lungs as you gasped for breath. Jed quickly swung another punch towards you, but you managed to deflect it with your forearm.

You were so focused on deflecting his right fist, you didn't even notice him swinging with his left. You were unable to do anything as it collided with your face again, but before you could retaliate Aaron suddenly pulled him off you.

"Hey! I said enough!" Rick continued yelling to your right somewhere and you knew he was probably trying to break up Daryl and Justin.

You took a few steps towards Jed, getting ready to punch him back before Aaron quickly let go of him and stood between the two of you with his hands out.

"Rick said enough!" Aaron shouted glaring at Jed who just grinned, blood still dripping from his nose, but he was clearly happy that he got the last punch in as Aaron glanced over at you.

Your heart was racing a thousand beats per second, your hands still curled up in fists by your side as you glanced over to where Daryl and Justin were fighting to find Rick holding Daryl back.

"Enough!" Rick ordered as Daryl took a step back wiping his mouth as spat blood onto the ground beside Rick before he turned around to make sure you were okay.

He didn't say anything, but you just nodded to tell him that you were okay before motioning over your shoulder towards camp, silently asking if he wanted to leave. Daryl nodded and with that the two of you left the bridge.

-

You and Daryl went straight back to camp and into your tent, away from everyone else.

You knew he was still hyped up from the fight as adrenaline soared through his veins. You didn't say anything as you went straight for a small cloth by your bed, pouring water over it from a water bottle, getting ready to clean his wounds.

"Fuckin' assholes." Daryl muttered in frustration as he sat down on the edge of the blow up mattress, trying to calm himself down before you knelt down in front of him and began wiping the blood off from the side of his mouth.

"Ya alright? That was one hell of a hit he landed on ya at one stage." Daryl asked after a few seconds, his voice now calmer as he stared into your eyes while you focused on cleaning him up.

This was definitely not the first time either of you had been in a fight and Daryl knew that you could hold your own even against a man bigger than you. It was one of the things that attracted him to you, it was the fact that you wouldn't take shit from anyone and weren't afraid to start a fight against someone twice your size, you were strong and he knew that.

"Honestly felt good to punch that bastard. Those fights were long overdue." You replied with a hint of a smile as Daryl chuckled softly nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, it was." He agreed as he cupped your face with his hand, his thumb gently brushing over the bruise already forming on your cheek bone.

You could his face slightly harden with anger as he stared at the bruise before you grabbed the back of his neck and pressed your lips to his, trying to ground him as he leant forward deepening the kiss.

"Things will get better with the Saviours, we will figure something out. We always do." You reassured and Daryl nodded before pulling you into a hug, his hand cupping the back of your head as he let out a deep breath. "We'll work it out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this chapter today because I m working on the weekend (I’m working 10 days in a row and I’m only on day 4 and I’m already exhausted) So I figured I should post it now because I know on the weekend I won’t feel up to posting after work, so here's an early chapter. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know this fic isn't as good as my last one, I am well aware of that, but I hope you all stick with it. Anyway, until next time stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	4. Chapter 4

"So, these assholes just get a free pass? Is that it?" Daryl questioned angrily, throwing his hands up in frustration and you sighed, rubbing your face with your hands.

You, Daryl, Rick and Carol had been having this conversation for nearly 10 minutes and you just seemed to be going around in circles.

"It's just a few more days. I don't like it either, but we're in a rush to get that work done. They're strong. The Saviours are over half the workforce, and we've had too many walk off already." Rick responded, referring to the Saviours who had just disappeared recently.

You had no idea why they seemed to be slowly disappearing one after the other, but you couldn't give two shits about it either. One less Saviour to worry about was all you could think about.

"Yeah. 'Cause that's who they are. Some of 'em ain't ever gonna fall in line, just 'cause ya say so." Daryl muttered as he paced the small area inside the tent while you turned back towards Rick and Carol who were standing near the meeting table.

"Daryl's right. These people have never had to live together. And we can't expect them to just forget what's happened." Carol added and you nodded in agreement.

"I know. It won't be, not for a while, but it's not about forgetting. It's about moving ahead, all of us, together. We keep doing that, they'll see we're all on the same side." Rick replied glancing between you and Carol as Daryl turned around facing the three of you.

"Are we, though? Are we on the same side, Rick?" Daryl questioned, staring at the other man.

"Well, you tell me."

"Thing is man, I've been tryin' to. But ya don't seem to wanna hear it." Daryl answered, his voice calmer as he stared at Rick for a few seconds before he walked out the tent. Well, that went well.

"Daryl." Rick called after him, but he didn't turn around as he continued walking off.

"I'll go talk to him." Carol says, glancing over at you and you nodded, watching as she walked out the tent before you turned back to Rick standing on the other side of the table.

"It's complicated. It's been different since Gregory, maybe since before that." Rick tried explaining, shaking his head and you knew he was stressing over everything.

"You should talk to him." You said softly nodding towards the door of the tent, but Rick shook his head.

"And say what?"

"Rick, you're my best friend and I love you like a brother, you know that. I get what you're trying to do here, it's the right thing. But maybe for some of them, they're just not ready for it." You said shrugging your shoulders as you stared at Rick.

You honestly had no idea if this whole thing with the Saviours would ever settle down, if everyone could one day live together in peace, but you weren't about to say that to him, he already had so much on his mind.

"I've been with you since the start, before we even met anyone else and you know I will stick with you through anything, but you gotta talk to Daryl. He thinks you're not listening to him anymore and I know you're not doing it on purpose, there's so much shit going on, but... just try and hear him out, please?"

"I know... I know." Rick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as you gave him a small smile before walking out the tent.

You didn't know how to help Rick or Daryl at the moment, so you figured you'd might as well go to the logging site, at least there you could help.

Working at the logging site was quieter than working at the bridge. There were only a handful of you guys there cutting and stacking the large wooden logs. Most of them Saviours, but Aaron was there as well and gave you a friendly wave when you arrived.

You spotted Jed standing on top of the stacks of logs, a fresh bandage wrapped over his nose that Enid must have done for him and you smiled.

You tried to stay clear of Jed as you picked up a handsaw from the ground and began sawing away at the branches and twigs sticking off the logs, knowing you needed clean straight logs for the bridge.

Daryl eventually showed up and began sawing the logs with you. It was nice just the two of you working together, until Aaron called for your help with lifting another wooden log up on top the large stack of them.

Just as your were about to go and help him you saw Jed standing on top of the log pile that Aaron was talking about. Great this was going to fun.

"He hurts ya again, I'm gonna kill him." Daryl muttered glaring in Jed's direction as you rolled your eyes.

"I can take care of myself, I'll be back in a minute." You replied as you stuck your saw into the log so nobody could step on it before walking over to Aaron and another Saviour who were tying rope around the log they wanted to move.

"Can you climb up those logs with Jed? That way you two can pull the log up with the rope while we'll push from the bottom." Aaron instructed, but you didn't miss the small look he shot at you which meant 'don't start another fight'. You nodded and within seconds you were standing on top of the stack of logs beside Jed.

"On three. One. Two. Three." Aaron shouted as you began pulling at the rope like you had done a million times before with all the other stacks of logs. But, every time it shocked you with how heavy one log was, even with four of you trying to lift it.

"A herd's comin'! Bug out now!" Daryl's voice suddenly shouted and your eyes locked with Aarons for a split second, panic spread across the mans face.

"We nearly got it, keep going!" You yelled, knowing it would be quicker to get the log up onto the stack rather than slowly lowering it back down onto the ground.

Without warning, Jed suddenly let go of his rope, jumping down from the stack.

"No!" You screamed quickly wrapping the rope around your hand, trying to pull his end up as well, but you weren't strong enough as the log suddenly fell to the ground, taking you with it.

Sudden pain erupted through your head as your forehead slammed against the log when it hit the ground. You instantly felt blood dripping down between your eyes from the cut it caused.

Your vision turned blurry for a few seconds and you feared you were going to pass out before it quickly cleared and that's when you saw Aaron's arm pinned under the log as Daryl and the other Saviours tried lifting it off.

"Go! Get out of here!" You heard Aaron try to shout, but you shook your head. No way in hell were you going to leave him behind. 

"Jed! Use the axe as a leaver while the rest of you push! I got the walkers." You yelled, stumbling to get to your feet as you pulled your machete out from your belt. You didn't miss the panicked look Daryl sent your way, but there was no time for discussion.

You ran towards the herd of walkers that were getting way to close to the men on the ground and started taking them out. There were too many walkers for you to take on alone, you knew that. But, you didn't have a choice. You needed to buy them as much time as possible to get Aaron free.

Walker after, after walker, after walker, you slashed with your machete, slicing through their rotten skulls before moving onto the next. Suddenly, you caught a glimpse of Rick and the others all running towards you and the herd. Thank God.

"We got this. Get him back to camp." Rick shouted as you glanced over your shoulder and you sighed with relief realising they had gotten Aaron free before you turned back to the walkers and continued taking them out.

You fought for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes before the last walker finally dropped as everyone scanned the area, making sure there weren't anymore.

"Everyone alright?" Rick questioned as you looked up for the first time realising how many people were actually here.

Rick, Carol, Ezekiel, Alden, Gabriel, Ann, Diane, Beatrice, Cyndie and many more all standing around the walkers bodies, everyone glancing at one another making sure nobody was bit.

"Shit, Y/N." Rick suddenly said, walking over to you in concern as he stared at the deep gash on your forehead along with all the now dry blood down the middle of your face, but you knew it probably looked worse than it was.

"That definitely needs stitches." Alden commented with a grimace as he walked over to the two of you, but you shook your head at the former Saviour.

"Enid needs to focus on helping Aaron, I'm fine. Lets start piling the bodies and burning them before the whole site starts to smell like rotten flesh." You responded, glancing around at the group of people who were now all staring at you before they all quickly got to work and began piling up the walkers.

You noticed Carol walk off back in the direction of camp, but you figured she was going to check on Daryl and Aaron.

"Y/N." Rick said softly, nodding his head for you to come over to him while the others moved the bodies. "One of the sirens didn't go off to redirect the herd, they weren't meant to come through here."

"Who was meant to sound the second siren?" You asked, knowing Jerry worked the first siren, but you weren't sure who had the job of the second siren, but by the look on Rick's face you could tell it was one of the Saviours. 

"Justin. Carol has gone back to camp to speak to him now." Rick answered and you shook your head in disbelief. Of course it was his fault, you should have guessed that.

"We'll deal with it later, lets clear these walkers and call it a day?" Rick suggested grabbing your shoulder as you looked over at him with a nod before the two of you started helping the others.

-

By the time you got back to camp the sun was already setting. You stayed back at the lumber site, while Rick and most the others called it a night and went back to camp.

It was only you, Diane and Alden left as you finished burning the last pile of walkers before the three of you collected any axes and saws on the ground before making your way back to camp as well.

People were sitting out by multiple camp fires and inside tents as they all chatted happily amongst each other. You spotted a couple of the Saviours by the fires joining in as you walked along the outskirts of the camp, knowing it was quicker to get to the infirmary tent that way.

"You need to keep your dog on his leash." Justin yelled, spotting you walking past his tent, but you didn't bother to respond as you continued walking past.

"Hey! Your bitch of a boyfriend damn near killed me over nothing." He shouted as he followed you before you suddenly stopped and turned around, noticing fresh stitches over his cheek bone and you knew Daryl must have punched him again.

"Over nothing? You had one fucking job! And now people are hurt because of you! Daryl had every right to punch you. He should have hit you harder to try knock some sense into that tiny brain of yours." You snapped, taking a step towards him in anger when suddenly Rick appeared.

"What's going on here?"

"Trying to tell this dumb bitch to keep her boyfriend in check. He nearly killed me over nothing!" Justin complained throwing his hands in the air in frustration as Rick's eyes glanced over you for a second before he turned back to Justin, walking over to him.

"I know you. See, I used to be a cop. And every Saturday night, I'd pick up some dipshit like you and have to listen to him run his mouth in the back of my car, every one of them trying to blame someone else for their own damn problems." Rick began saying before Justin cut him off.

"I don't need to listen to this."

"Wrong. You're gonna stand there and listen to every word." Rick stated as he took a step to the left, blocking the man from walking past as he stared at him. "Now, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. That is done. Now, you pack your shit and get out of here first thing in the morning. If I see your face again, stitches won't fix what I do to you." He threatened, pointing towards the other mans face before he shook his head.

"Wouldn't stay if you begged me. I'm not waiting till morning, either." He responded, already walking off in the other direction.

Finally, Rick was starting to listen to Daryl. Justin should have been dealt with a long time ago, but better late than never.

"You still haven't gone to the infirmary yet?" Rick asked taking in the dry blood still on your face.

"Was just about to head there now, heard anything about Aaron? Is he gonna be okay?" You asked worriedly as the two of you began walking towards the infirmary tent.

You hadn't see what injuries the man had gotten from the log, but you knew it wouldn't be good. If that log landed on his head, he would have been dead instantly.

"I don't know, all I know is that Enid had to amputate his arm." Rick answered and your eyes went wide with shock.

If only you were stronger, then you might have been able to hold the log up just a little bit longer giving him time to get out the way. But, you weren't and as soon as Jed let go you didn't stand a chance and now Aaron had lost an arm.

As the two of you walked into the infirmary your eyes instantly landed on the infirmary bed to find Aaron lying on top under a few blankets, his left arm amputated from the elbow down.

Daryl was sitting on a chair beside him while Enid stood by the door to the tent, watching over her patient. You could see Daryl staring at you in concern obviously having not seen the cut on your forehead when the whole thing went down, but you just nodded slightly indicating that you were alright as you walked over the bed.

"Well done. He's gonna be alright?" You heard Rick ask from behind you as you knelt down beside Aaron, your forearms resting on the edge of his bed. You could feel tears building up in your eyes as you took in how pale the man was.

"Yeah. If we can keep the wound from getting infected. But he's still in a lot of pain." Enid answered and you sighed with relief.

"He's still holdin' on though." Daryl commented as you felt Aaron move slightly on the bed.

"Damn right I am." He mumbled weakly, his eyes still closed as you smiled sadly before Daryl stood up from the chair beside you, allowing Rick to sit down.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. We were all supposed to be working together. I thought we were." Rick began saying as Aaron opened his eyes weakly looking up at Rick.

"You couldn't have known." He replied and Rick sighed, shaking his head.

"I've been pushing everyone hard. I know I have. I put this project first and you paid the price." Rick continued, glancing down at you before focusing back on Aaron.

"It was worth it. When the dead started to rise... I thought I was seeing the end of everything. But you changed all that, Rick. It's not the end of the world anymore. It's the start of a whole new one. I'll always be glad I was here to be a part of that." Aaron responded, his voice still weak but he kept his eyes on the man next to him as Rick rested his hand on Aarons chest giving him a sad nod before he left the infirmary.

"In the morning I will take you back to Alexandria, get Sidiqi to make sure everything is okay and to get you some antibiotics so it doesn't get infected. I'll organise for one of the babysitters at Alexandria to help with Gracie and everything, so don't worry about her. Just get some rest alright? I'll be back in the morning." You explained quietly as Aaron gave you small smile.

"Thank you, Y/N." He mumbled and you nodded, standing up from the ground as you turned around towards Daryl and Enid who both nodded at you to come over to them.

"Sit down, I'll get this cleaned up. You should have came to me sooner, this is a nasty cut." Enid said softly, not wanting to wake Aaron who was now asleep again as Daryl rested his hand on your shoulder, placing a gentle kiss the side of your head.

Enid began cleaning and stitching the wound with stitching tap since it had stopped bleeding a while she didn't need to use actual stitches apparently. You just let her do whatever she thought needed to be done. You didn't know much about this stuff and you trusted the young girl.

That night you and Daryl stayed in the infirmary, not wanting Aaron to be alone as the two of you slept in the wooden chairs on the othersider of the room.

The next morning you and Rick took Aaron back to Alexandria. Rick wanted to head home for the day to spend time with Judith and Michonne and you made a promise to Aaron.

It felt weird riding through the front gates of Alexandria. You were sitting beside Rick in the horse cart while Aaron laid in the back of the cart, asleep again. You hadn't been inside the community since after the war and you felt a shiver run down your spin as you remembered Negan was inside the walls of this town.

You helped Rick take Aaron into the infirmary, letting Siddiq take a proper look at him and hooking him up to an IV drip.

The good news was that Enid did a good job with the amputation, but Siddiq wanted to keep him in the infirmary for the next few days just to make sure.

"Aunt Y/N!" A young girl suddenly called causing you to turn around in confusion, but when you spotted a young girl with beautiful long curly blonde hair running through the door to the infirmary you instantly knew who it was.

You dropped down on one knee holding your arms out as Judith jumped into your arms, pulling you into a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh, you have grown up so much, Jude!" You responded, tears threatening to spill from your eyes, your hand cradling the back of her head as you held the young girl to your chest.

"I love you so much." You whispered as the little girl pulled away from you slightly, her hands coming up to your face.

"Why are you crying?" She asked in confusion causing you to laugh softly as a few tears spilled from your eyes.

"It's been a difficult few days." You answered with a sad smile as she rubbed away the tears on your cheeks.

"Uncle Daryl wouldn't want you to be sad." Judith replied as she grabbed the corners of your mouth and pushed them up into a smile. She was too pure for this cruel world, Judith deserved so much better than this world.

"Come on, let's go find your mum and dad." You said after a few seconds grabbing the little girls hand as you walked out the infirmary in search of Rick or Michonne.

"There she is! Judith, don't run off without our permission." Michonne yelled as you turned around to find her and Rick walking over to you.

"Sorry, I found Aunt Y/N." She apologised staring up at you with big brown puppy dog eyes before looking over at her parents.

"I was just going to sort out a babysitter for Gracie while Aaron is out of action for a while and then I was going to head back to the camp." You informed looking back at Rick and Michonne.

"Don't worry about it, I've already got everything sorted. Aaron and Gracie will be well looked after." Michonne replied and you sighed with relief. You didn't want Aaron having to worry about Gracie while he was recovering, but you were glad Michonne was usually in Alexandria so she could keep an eye on everything. That was one less thing to worry about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is up, sorry for the slight delay work has really just hit me and I’m looking forward to my 3 days off next week after my night shifts are finished (going camping at the beach with my family and I m so excited) 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter, I would love to hear your thoughts about it below. But until next time stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	5. Chapter 5

By the time you got back to the camp it was already late afternoon. However, when you entered the camp you did expect to find everyone at each other's throats or for Maggie to be there either.

Seriously you were gone for a few hours and this happens. All the Saviours were crowded together yelling at everyone from the other communities, but you could tell it was more than just a pissing match when you noticed Rosita, Jerry and a few others having to hold the Saviours back from fighting. What the hell happened to make the Saviours so angry?

You could see Daryl standing off to the back watching cautiously, his crossbow in hand while everyone continued yelling. For a moment you weren't sure whether you should intervene or not, but when you saw everyone pulling out guns and aiming at the Saviours you knew you should.

"We don't want this. Hey, we just need to protect ourselves." Laura yelled holding her hands out to show that she wasn't threat as you walked over to the crowds.

"No guns!" Daryl shouted, glaring at all the Saviours as you reached Carol's side a few metres away from Jed and the others.

"That 'cause you're the one who took out Justin?" A Saviour responded causing you to frown in confusion. Justin was dead? No wonder these people were angry.

"Nah. My money's on garbage lady." Another Saviour responded glancing over at Ann who was standing to the right somewhere, but you kept your eyes on the men in front of you.

"No. It's her. Finishing what her boyfriend started." One of the Saviours stated pointing towards you as he walked over to a tree, grabbing the axe that was leaning against it before he turned back towards you in anger.

"Hey, stop. It's gonna go to far." Arat quickly said grabbing the mans shoulder to try stop him.

"Nah. It won't." Daryl yelled in response, his eyes glancing over at you as he raised his crossbow.

Was this really going to happen? An all out war 2.0 right here? There was only one way this would end and that's bloody, did the Saviours really want this? Guns against knifes? It's obvious who's gonna win.

"You guys can still walk away from this, nobody else has to die." You warned, your hand still resting over your gun holster as you glanced between the main Saviours in front of you.

"Nah, a few people do." Jed responded taking a step towards you with his axe out as you quickly pulled your handgun out too.

You rested your finger on the trigger as you aimed at the mans chest waiting to see how this played out. But, just as the Saviours were about to start fighting Rick appeared out of nowhere, racing between the two crowds on his horse with his revolver in his hand.

"Everyone back off! Right now!" Rick yelled, riding his horse forwards and back between the two crowds while Laura and Arat took the axes from Jed and a few other Saviours.

"I'll talk to Rick. I'll try and find a way to make everybody feel safe, alright?" Alden said from beside you as he stared at the Saviours, but you knew the Saviours weren't happy as Jed shook his head before walking off, the rest of the Saviours following him.

You watched as the Saviours walked off in one direction as everyone else walked off in other. You followed Daryl as he walked towards the outskirts of the camp, sitting down on the wooden stumps and you did the same.

"I really wanted to pull that trigger." You muttered in annoyance as you pulled your compound bow off your back, resting it over your lap as Daryl hummed in agreement.

You understood why Rick wanted things to work with the Saviours and you needed them if you wanted to finish the bridge in time. But, a part of you wished you had just killed them back when Rick sliced Negan's throat. Everything would be so much simpler if the Saviours weren't around.

"How's Aaron?" Daryl asked after a few minutes, glancing over at you while he sharpened his knives on the small knife sharpener that Jesus had found a few months back and figured Daryl would get the most use out of it with his duel knives.

"He slept most the time I was there, but I bought Gracie into the infirmary so he could see her. He'll be alright, he's in good hands." You answered as you fiddled with the arrows on the quiver attached to the side of your bow.

"Yeah, he is." Daryl agreed with a small nod before you spotted Rick walking towards you guys.

You gave him a small smile as he sat down on the wooden stump beside Daryl, but nobody said anything for a few seconds even though it was clear why Rick wanted to talk to you.

"Go ahead. Ask." Daryl finally said, turning towards his brother beside him.

"That wound on Justin looks like a puncture. I wondered if it could be from a knife, but it's small, round and clean. Smaller and cleaner than a bullet hole. Kind of looks like an arrow hit him." Rick began to say, glancing over your bow in your lap before looking back at Daryl. "Or a bolt."

"Is this the kind of shit ya used to do?" Daryl questioned.

"When I had to."

"Ya really think one of us did it?" Daryl asked, looking over at you for a second before turning back to Rick who shook his head.

"No. But others do. So, I'm making sure." Rick answered and you nodded in understanding, but it still bothered you that Rick would even ask such a thing. You had been with Rick since the very beginning, even before the camp in Atlanta.

"No offence, Rick. But if Daryl or I killed him, we probably would have done it in plain sight. We don't know who it is, but we all know why. Bringing all these people together after everything they have done to each other... It was always gonna happen." You stated looking over at Rick as he shook his head.

"No. It's the right thing to do. The future belongs to all of us now."

"Why do they get this future? 'N Glenn don't? Or Abraham? Or Sasha? All the people the Kingdom lost, Hilltop, Oceanside? Ya ever think 'bout what they want? What they'd do, if they could?" Daryl asked and you looked down at the bow in your lap sadly.

You knew Daryl blamed himself for Glenn's death, you have tried convincing him that it wasn't, even Maggie tried, but Daryl still felt guilty for it and you knew that would never change.

"Yeah, I do. I have. For a long time, I wanted it too, maybe more than anyone. But killing each other when the world already belongs to the dead? It's not the way. Not anymore." Rick replied, staring at Daryl for a few seconds before he shook his head and grabbed his crossbow as he stood up.

"We should go work that grid." Daryl muttered as he began walking off before Rick quickly stood up as you watched the two of them, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever this was.

"Daryl, I know you don't agree with everything we're doing here. All I ask is that you try. Do it. Let people see it. And maybe everyone moves past what's happened to what could happen and maybe, just, maybe, it'd be one of the best decisions you ever made. Like not killing a guy who left your brother on a rooftop to die." Rick stated and for a few seconds the two men just stood there staring at each other before Daryl just nodded and began walking off as you sighed.

That was a low shot, bringing Merle up like that. Rick knew Daryl hated talking about his brother, it might have been years ago, but you knew it still hurt whenever he thought about him.

"Everyone's splitting up in groups to work the grid to try find the other Saviours who have gone missing, but I need someone to stay back at camp and keep an eye on everything." Rick began saying and you nodded, slinging your bow strap over your shoulder before standing up.

"I can do that." You replied, but you could tell Rick wanted to say something else and you rolled your eyes. "Don't worry, I won't start any fights."

"I was just gonna say be careful. Some of the Saviours are getting angry and I don't want to see you getting anymore hurt." Rick said glancing up at the long diagonal cut across your forehead that Enid had stitched up.

-

You stayed back with Carol to keep an eye on the camp while the others all split up and searched the grid. But, within a few hours they all came back with nothing but another Saviour missing. Arat had been taken, but nobody knew where or who took her.

Rick, Daryl, Carol, Maggie, Jerry and yourself, all decided it was too dangerous for everyone to be out there, so the small group of you were going to split up into pairs with somebody you trusted to finish searching the grid.

Rick told you and Daryl to split up since you were both skilled trackers, so Daryl went with Maggie while you went with Rick and Carol. Daryl had taught you track back at the prison. You knew how to hunt, but you knew nothing about tracking, so after a few weeks Daryl began teaching you, but he was still better at tracking than you.

"I know you think this rivalry with the Saviours will eventually end, but it won't. We have killed a lot of their people, a lot of their loved ones and they killed too many of ours... I know you're trying to do the right thing, Rick, but it won't work." You said as the three of you walked through the woods, the sun disappearing through the trees as Carol turned her flash light on while you held your bow in your hands.

The three of you had been searching for any sign of Arat for over an hour, but you hadn't even spotted a set of tracks anywhere.

"Y/N's right. Today, I saw it starting again, and I just wanted to pull that trigger. End it before it begins, because if we don't find Arat, we're gonna have a fight whether we want it or not." Carol added and you nodded in agreement.

"No, I won't let it come to that. I can't." Rick quickly responded, shaking his head with a sigh as he looked over at Carol to his left before glancing over at you to his right.

"Every day since I put Negan in that cell I have this moment, usually right when I wake up, this feeling that I should go down there and kill him. To keep going, finish them all. And in that moment, it's all I want. But, then, I remember everyone we've lost. Not just to the Saviours, but the whole way. And I know I need to honour them. To build life, not take it. Because it's us or the dead, and every life counts."

"I know where you're coming from, Rick and I understand that. But not everyone can just forgive and forget..." You said trailing off as you pictured your brothers voice in your head, 'We have to find a way to make peace.' You sighed, Jesus hated killing people, but he'd do it if he had to and you knew he was usually right when it came to that stuff.

"But, I will stick with your plan. It might be a stupid plan and probably won't work, but if think there's a slight chance of being able to live peacefully with everyone, then I will try. Judith, Hershel, Gracie, all the kids, they deserve something better than this." You replied glancing over at Rick as he gave you an appreciative nod.

Another 20 minutes passed before you heard the familiar sound of walkers growling off to your right as you motioned for Carol to follow you while Rick kept walking up ahead. By now the sun had completely gone, but between Carols flashlight and the full moon, you could still see where you were walking.

"It's just one." You called out spotting the walker stumbling out from behind a tree a few metres in front of you.

You nocked an arrow onto your bow about to draw the string back when suddenly something crashed into the side of you.

Everything happened so quickly as the person tackled you to the ground, knocking your bow out your hands. You could hear Carol fighting with someone else before a gunshot filled the air.

It took you a few seconds to realise that it was your gun that had been fired, except it wasn't you who pulled the trigger as fiery pain seared through your left leg.

You grabbed your knee in agony spotting blood already seeping through your jeans, just above your left knee.

You quickly looked up, trying to find the person who shot you as you spotted Jed standing a few metres away, holding Carol in front of him with your gun to her head while another Saviour stood off the side.

"Drop it!" Rick suddenly yelled, running over to your guys as he raised his gun towards Jed noticing he had Carol at gunpoint before he spotted you on the ground a few metres away, holding your bloodied knee.

"Solid advice. You should take it. No way you get me before I pop one in her head. Ain't that right, boss lady?" Jed questioned glancing down at Carol in front of him before he bought his attention back to Rick who still had his gun aimed at him

"Y/N?" Rick asked worriedly, not wanting to take his eyes of Jed when he had a gun to Carol, but he was clearly worried about you.

"I'm good, just a graze." You lied, but you saw Rick visibly relax as his eyes hardened towards Jed.

The bullet wound definitely wasn't a graze, not by the amount of blood that was already soaking through your jeans or by the fact that you could still feel the bullet inside your leg every time you tired to moving.

"You killed the others?" Rick questioned staring at Jed as you tried sitting up slightly, your hand still holding your knee as you winced in pain.

"Is that what you think? Shit man, you got no damn clue. We're not killing anybody. Unless we have to. This? This is about the guns. And seeing as how we're being hunted and all, maybe it won't come as a big bombshell that we're vamoosing out of your little pet project. We don't need a babysitter. We just need a little protection for our trip home." Jed explained.

So, the Saviours were planning on just leaving and heading back to the Sanctuary without you guys.

"It doesn't have to be this way." Rick tried to say, but Jed just cut him off.

"Talk time is up. Toss DJ your gun. We'll let you walk and we'll be on our merry way. You know, over and over I heard you yapping about how every life counts and man, I got to tell you, I'm right there with you. But, if you don't give up that gun her life ain't gonna count for shit for much longer. I shot Y/N, I will be more than happy to finish the job too." Jed threated, glancing down at you, but you could see the knife peaking our from Carol's sleeve and you knew she was just waiting for the right moment.

"You do this there's no going back. Just let Carol go and we can forget this ever happened." You tried to say, but Jed shook his head as removed the gun for Carols head, aiming at you.

You just grinned knowing that was the moment Carol was waiting for as she hit Jed’s hand, knocking the gun to the ground before stabbing him through the shoulder.

"Down. Now." Rick yelled, quickly aiming his gun at DJ causing the Saviour to quickly stop in his tracks. "Keep pressure on it, we'll get to camp and fix you up."

"Why not just take me out?" Jed questioned, holding his shoulder as he looked up at Rick from his position on the ground.

"Because every life counts." Carol muttered, glancing over at Rick who nodded.

"Get up and go straight back to camp. Enid will stitch that up and then we can talk about what happens next." Rick ordered and you watched as the two Saviours both nodded in agreement before walking off through the woods towards camp.

"Can I have my gun back? I promise I won't let someone else shoot me with my own gun again." You joked, looking over at Rick as he picked your desert eagle up off the ground before him and Carol walked over to you.

"Holy shit, that's a lot of blood. I thought you said it was a graze?!" Rick exclaimed, crouching down beside you as he lifted your hand off your knee to find your jeans drenched in fresh blood.

"You had other things to worry about, it's not that bad. I've been shot worse." You replied referring to the time back during the line up with Negan and the Saviours.

When they threw Daryl into the back of the van, you had tried to fight back. Which resulted in Negan shooting you in the stomach and you spent the next few days in the infirmary at Hilltop in critical condition, Jesus never leaving your side.

"Yeah, and you nearly died." Rick stated as you began taking your flannel shirt off, leaving you in a black singlet as Carol helped your tie the flannel over the bullet wound.

"There's no exit wound, the bullet is still in your leg, Y/N." Rick sighed shaking his head as Carol finished tying the flannel around your leg causing you to grimace slightly as she tightened the knot.

"Kinda figured that, help me stand up." You winced, as Rick and Carol helped to your feet.

"You aren't seriously thinking of just walking back to camp?" Carol questioned, glancing down at your bleeding leg as you nodded.

"We're two miles from camp, Y/N. I can carry you ba-" Rick began saying before you cut him off.

"Not happening. I got shot with my own damn gun, let me keep the little dignity that I have left and just help me walk back to camp, please?" You asked, looking over Rick who signed, but nodded as he wrapped your arm over his shoulders, his free arm wrapped around your waist to help you walk.

Burning pain flared through your leg with every step, but there was no way you were going to let Rick carry you back.

Carol walked a few metres ahead of you guys ready to take out any walkers that happened to cross your paths, your compound bow slung over her shoulders so you didn't have to carry it.

-

"I'm so sorry for waking you." You apologised as Enid rushed into the infirmary tent as you sat on the bed, Rick hovering over you anxiously.

"It's fine. Carol said you got shot in the leg?" The teenager asked and you nodded as she began removing your now ruined flannel shirt from the wound.

"How'd this happen?" Enid asked, throwing your shirt to the side before cutting off your pants leg so she could reach the wound.

You glanced over at Rick who was giving you a pleading look and you knew what he meant. He didn't want people knowing that a Saviour had shot you, you knew it would only make things worse between the groups.

"Just a stupid accident- Son of a bitch!" You gasped, your head snapping away from Rick to find Enid pouring alcohol over the wound to disinfect it. A little heads up would have been nice.

"I need to pull the bullet out, but it's in really deep. Rick can you help me hold her down." Enid instructed as he handed you a belt to bite down on before telling Rick how to hold your leg still.

"I'm sorry, this is really going to hurt." Enid apologised and you just nodded, biting down on the belt as she dug the tweezers into the wound to fish the bullet out.

You tried to hold back your screams, not wanting to wake anyone up since it was probably midnight, but you didn't last long.

The belt between your teeth seemed to muffle most of your screams as searing pain soared through your knee and up through your leg. Black spots began to cloud your vision and the last thing you heard was Rick calling your name before the darkness took over.

-

Slowly you began to open your eyes, thumping pain radiating from the bullet wound above your knee as you tried to sit yourself up on the bed.

"Easy. Just take it easy." Rick suddenly said as he stood up from the chair next to your bed and helped you sit up against the pillow.

Glancing down at your leg you spotted a thick white bandage wrapped around the wound and you sighed.

"How long was I out?" You asked, looking over at Rick as he sat back down in his chair

"Few hours. Everything seemed to be alright, she got the bullet out. But, she hasn't got any painkillers left, used them all on Aaron earlier." Rick answered and you nodded figuring that was the case. "Once Daryl and Maggie get back, I'll take you to Alexandria."

"I'll be fine, I don't need to go to Alexandria." You argued as Rick sent you a doubtful look.

"Y/N you can barely walk and Enid said the bullet had chipped your bone. You need to rest, so it can heal properly." He responded and you sighed shaking your head.

"The bridge isn't finished and now since we didn't find Arat last night, the Saviours are going to leave. I need to help." You said, rubbing your face with your hands to wake yourself up.

You couldn't just go back to Alexandria or Hilltop, you needed to help finish this bridge, especially since the river had started to flow at an alarmingly fast rate, even Eugene was worried about it not holding.

"You have done more than anyone else on that bridge, I think the others can handle it. I'll take you back to Alexandria in a couple hours, get Siddiq to take a proper look at it." Rick said, motioning towards the bandage wrapped around your left knee.

"I can't, you know that. I cant stay there not when Negan's still there. I went there earlier so I could make sure Aaron and Gracie were okay and to see Judith. But, I can't stay there. I'll go back to Hilltop, my bike is still there and all my stuff is in Paul's trailer anyway." You answered and Rick nodded in understanding before people began talking outside and you sighed with relief recognising Daryl and Maggie's voices. They were back.

"Go." You said nodding towards the tent door of the infirmary, knowing Rick wanted to talk to Daryl before he got wind of you being shot, knowing all hell would break loose.

Rick walked out the infirmary, spotting Maggie already saddling up her horses and hooking them to Hilltops horse cart, while Daryl stood off to the side, his eyes glancing around camp and Rick knew he was looking for you.

"Got room for one more?" Rick asked, walking over to Maggie as she turned around in confusion.

"You're coming to Hilltop?" She asked, but Rick shook his head.

"Not me." Rick replied, before turning his attention towards the archer who was leaning against a tree a few metres away. "Daryl, I need to talk to you."

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked, noticing the sudden change in his brothers tone.

"It's been handled and Enid said she'll be fine, but Y/N was shot in the leg."

"By who?" Daryl quickly questioned, anger rising in his voice as he felt his heart rate skyrocket after hearing you had been hurt. But, he didn't wait for Ricks response before he rushed towards the infirmary, Rick and Maggie close behind him.

"Shit, Y/N." Daryl muttered, spotting you sitting on top of the bed, your hand resting over your bandaged left knee.

"I'm fine."

"Don't look like it. The hell happened?" Daryl questioned, unable to keep his voice calm as he glanced back at Rick who sighed rubbing the back of his neck, knowing this wasn't going to end well.

"Incident with a couple Saviours, but it's dealt with." Rick reassured, but it clearly didn't calm Daryl down.

"Saviours did this? Who?" Daryl asked, glancing back and forth between you, Rick and Maggie.

"The Saviours have all left, gone back to Sanctuary. It doesn't matter." Rick tried to say, but Daryl shook his head.

"It does."

"Guys can I talk to Daryl for a few minutes alone?" You asked, Rick and Maggie both nodding as they walked out the infirmary, leaving Daryl standing beside you with a angry yet worried expression. "Hey, hey, look at me. I'm okay, it was just a shot to the leg. I've had worse, you know that."

"Doesn't make it right though." Daryl muttered and you nodded, but didn't say anything else as Daryl took a seat on the chair beside your bed.

"Oceanside's been takin' the Saviours and killin' 'em. They said Arat was the last one..." Daryl trailed off, clearly trying to find the right words.

"But?"

"Maggie wants to kill Negan, then it's over." Daryl answered and you knew there was no point asking him if that's what he wanted as well because you knew it was and you wanted that too.

"Alright, so what's the plan?"

"She's gonna go back to Hilltop, get some supplies and then go to Alexandria and do it." Daryl explained, but you shook your head, no way would that work.

"Rick won't let her just stroll in and kill him." You replied and Daryl nodded in agreement.

"I was gonna stay back and when Rick gets wind of it, I'll give him a lift on the bike, but won't take him there." Daryl said as you gave him a questioning look. "Rick will be pissed, but I'll handle it. Now what's happenin' with you? Rick said you're goin' back to Hilltop."

"Yeah, more of a reliability out here than anything. Enid said I should rest so I figured I'd go back to Hilltop. Catch up with Paul and help with Hershel." You explained, glancing over at Daryl noticing he was biting his thumb which was a habit he'd do whenever he's worried or anxious.

"I can go with ya, if ya want?"

"No, it's okay. Maggie needs you here to distract Rick. Once it's over and that bridge is finished, then everything can go back to normal." You replied and Daryl sighed, but nodded in agreement knowing you were right. Once Negan was dead, everything would go back to how it used to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s taken longer to post this chapter, I’ve been on night shift all week and I’m so exhausted, but only one more shift before I have a four day break so the next chapter will be up quicker, I promise. 
> 
> Anyway, i’m sure you all know what is going to happen in the next few chapters, so stay tuned. But, until next time stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	6. Chapter 6

  
  
  
You sat in the back of the horse carriage as Maggie sat up the front controlling the horses while you rode back to Hilltop. You asked her about her plan with Negan, wanting to make sure there wasn't any risks with the plan, you just had a really bad feeling about something, but you couldn't pinpoint what. 

The last time you had this feeling was the morning before meeting Negan, before he killed Abraham and Glenn and you couldn't help but worry. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but you wanted to make sure Maggie had thought this plan though so nothing could go wrong.

"Alden, open the gates!" Maggie shouted, bringing you out of your thoughts, realising that you were already at Hilltop.

You watched as the ex-Saviour gave Maggie a friendly wave before opening the gates. You had to admit, Alden had really proved himself since being a Saviour at Negan's satellite outpost, he was the only Saviour you actually trusted and if you were being honest, called a friend.

Maggie slowed the horses down as you rode into the fast growing community. People were out and about working with the animals and out in the crops and gardens, all busy helping built the community.

She bought the horses to a stop in front of the Barrington House and climbed off the front seat of the carriage as she walked around to the back of it, holding her hand out to help you climb out.

"Just go slowly." Maggie instructed as you to took her hand and slowly climbed out the carriage, nearly falling over when you put all your weight on your bad leg, but Maggie grabbed your shoulder, stabling you. "You alright?" She asked worriedly, but you didn't have time to respond.

"Y/N? Shit, what happened?" Your brothers voice suddenly shouted and you glanced towards Barrington House to find him jogging down the stairs towards the two of you.

"Got shot, but I'm fine." You answered causing Maggie to chuckle at how chilled you were about the whole situation. 

Within seconds Paul was by your side, his eyes glancing from the bandage wrapped around your knee to the stitches along your forehead, which you had honestly forgotten about.

"Oh yeah, because being shot is fine." Paul responded as you rolled your eyes, Maggie's hand still on your shoulder as you glanced over at her.

"I'm good, Mags. Go see Hershel." You said, grabbing onto the side of the carriage to keep yourself upright as Maggie nodded, giving Paul a smile before she walked towards the Barrington House. "Have you been looking after my quad bike?" You asked, turning your attention back to your brother.

"Really, that's where your mind is at? Come on, I'll take you back to my trailer, you probably shouldn't be putting weight on that leg." Paul replied, wrapping his arm around your shoulders as he helped you walk to his trailer. "And yes, your bike is fine. Still parked beside my trailer where you left it."

"Glad to hear it." You winced, as you limped into his trailer, immediately taking a seat at the small table in the middle of the room. "Remember the good old days where the worst injuries we'd get were bruises from play fighting?" You asked, glancing over at Paul as he took a seat opposite you with a small smile.

"Actually I do remember you coming home from work with a broken finger at one stage." He replied in amusement and you chuckled remembering that day. 

You were helping shift cement planks at the construction site when the dumbass who was holding the other end of the plank tripped over and your finger got stuck under the 200 pound cement plank. God, that had been painful and the dumbass who tripped apologised to you every day for the following months, feeling awful about the whole thing.

"Oh like you can talk. I do recall you spraining your ankle back during our orphanage days. You complained about it for weeks." You teased causing Paul to laugh, shaking his head and you smiled, missing these chats with your brother. "Glad you finally got rid of the ridiculous beanie."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I still got the beanie. It's the middle of summer, its too hot to wear it." He replied, laughing at the annoyed expression you made. "Hey, you bought me that beanie, it's your own fault."

"Yeah, and I've regretted it ever since." You muttered, slinging your bow off your shoulders as you placed it on top of the table so you could lean back on the chair without the weapon digging into your back.

"Wanna tell me what happened? I figured the cut on your head was from the walker incident at the logging site, Diane told me all about it when she came back to Hilltop afterwards." Paul explained noticing your confused expression before you nodded. "How'd you get shot?"

"Arat was taken, so Rick sent out groups to try find her. Jed and another Saviour ambushed us, shot me, but we handled it. Although, the Saviours have gone back to Sanctuary, so I don't know what's happening with the bridge anymore." You explained and Paul sighed taking into the news.

"I guess we can't have peace with them after all." He replied and you gave him a sad smile as you fiddled with your silver locket on the end of your necklace. You knew how much your brother cared about this, how he wanted people to rise up and beyond what had happened in the past and make peace with each other, but some things could never be moved on from.

"You still have that necklace?" He asked after a few minutes of silence and you didn't even realise you were still fiddling with the locket until you looked down. You opened the locket smiling at the photo of you and your brother. "It's such an old photo."

"It reminds me of the good old days." You simply replied, closing the locket before tucking the chain back under your shirt.

"Do you ever think about what life would be like if our parents were still alive? Would I still have been a martial arts teacher and you a construction worker? Do you think they would have made it this far into the new world?" Paul began asking as he leant back in his chair staring at the wall across the room in deep thought.

"We don't talk about that." You replied, glancing over at him. You guys made a deal back when you were kids to never talk about that or the accident, it was just better that way. You still had nightmares about that day, although now your dreams were more haunted by walkers and all the people you had lost in this new world, but you still had some of the accident. 

"I do think of them sometimes." You admitted. 

"Me too." He replied softly, the two of you sitting in comfortable silence for a few minutes before he grabbed some kind of envelop that was on the table and stood up. "More letters from Georgie arrived this morning, I better go give them to Maggie. I'll see if any of the women here have a spare pair of jeans for you." He said motioning towards your left leg where Enid had cut your jeans and you nodded as he walked out the trailer.

You stayed in his trailer for the next hour, bored out of your brain as you sharpened your machete on the sharpening stone you found in your brothers trailer. One of the Hilltop women had come by and gave you a new pair of jeans that fit you perfectly, you thanked the woman and asked where Jesus was, but apparently he had stuff to deal with around the community since Maggie was gone again.

By the time Paul had finally came back, your machete was well and truly sharp, but you kept swiping the blade against the rock half curious as to how sharp you could get it, but also just purely bored inside his trailer with nothing else to do. 

"Something's going down at the camp." Paul informed walking into the trailer as he grabbed his knives from the table which you had also sharpened out of boredom. What was happening back at camp? The Saviours had left, so what could be going on?

"I'm not sure what's going on, it came through on the walkies that something was going down, but that's all the information we got. I gotta go get a group together, so we can go help with whatever's happening." He explained as you stood up from your chair, sheathing your machete back into it's holder on your belt. "Don't even think about it. You can barely walk. Stay here."

"I have to help!" You responded, talking a small step forward unable to hold back your wince as you put pressure on your bag leg causing Paul to glare at you and you sighed. "Okay, I'll stay. Just be careful."

-

After Paul and the group left to see what was happening at the camp, you tried to keep yourself busy. You managed to walk over to Barrington House to help with Hershel for a while. He was such a sweet baby boy and reminded you so much of Glenn every time you looked at him. You couldn't even imagine how Maggie does it, but Glenn would have been damn proud of her, proud of them both.

You stayed in Maggie's office for a while, playing with Hershel on the floor as you stared at the paintings she had hanging on the wall. Hershel, Beth and Glenn. God, those paintings were so realistic, Ann really did have a talent for art.

"Okay, okay, not that knee." You winced, lifting the baby boy off your lap as you moved him onto your right leg so he couldn't bump your bullet wound.

"Dada." Hershel mumbled, pointing towards the framed painting on the wall behind you and you couldn't help the smile forming on your face, glad that Maggie had told him about Glenn.

"Yeah, that's your daddy." You replied, placing a gentle kiss to the top of the boys head before the sound of an explosion filled the air and you froze. What the hell was that?

Quickly you grabbed Hershel, holding him against your hip as you stood up from the chair and limped towards the window in Maggie's office. You could see thick black smoke rising through the tree tops in the distance and you sighed with relief realising that the explosion was a fair distance away from Hilltop before your brain actually clicked and you realised that the smoke was in the rough direction of the camp. Oh God.

"Y/N? You need to go outside, everyone's freaking out about the explosion." A woman suddenly said as you turned around to find Maggie's baby sitter standing in the doorway. She was a nice woman, probably had no idea how to fight or shoot a gun, but she was good with Hershel and Maggie trusted her.

"Wait, why me?" You asked in confusion, you weren't the leader of these people.

"Neither Maggie or Jesus are here and the people are panicking. You're Jesus' sister and Maggie's best friend. The people trust you, they'll listen to you." She replied as you glanced back out the window to find most of Hilltops civilians all standing by the gate and you sighed knowing you had to do something before they all ended up doing something stupid.

"Alright, can you take Hershel?" You asked and the woman nodded as you handed the baby boy to her before you grabbed your bow from Maggie's desk where you left it, slinging the strap over your shoulder before you limped out the building.

"Open the gates!" 

"We have to see what the explosion was!" 

"My friends and family were at the camp, let us out!" The Hilltop civilians yelled and you felt bad for poor Alden and Kal who were up on the guard post copping all of it. Paul must have told them to keep the gates shut until they found out what was happening at the camp.

"Hey! Yelling isn't going to help this situation!" You shouted as you limped towards the gates, trying your best not to wince at the pain after each step. But, to your shock they all shut up immediately turned towards you. 

You stared at the group of people in surprise for a few seconds before realising that they were waiting for you to continue talking. What the hell do you say? You weren't a leader, you weren't Rick or Maggie or Ezekiel, sure you and Daryl were in charge of Sanctuary for a while, but that was nothing like this.

"Paul- Jesus wanted everyone to stay inside the community until they figured out what was going on at the camp. I know you are all worried, but the smoke is too far East to be coming from the camp." You explained, glancing towards the smoke in the distance, silently praying that Daryl, Paul and Rick were safe before you focused back on the Hilltop residents.

"So we're meant to just stand around and wait?" A man questioned, stepping forward from the group as he stared at you.

"No, everyone has jobs to do around the community so get back to work. If our people need back up they will radio it through. I will let everyone know if and when that happens." You responded, which seemed to shut the man up as he nodded.

"You heard the lady, get back to work!" The same man shouted and you sent him a grateful nod as everyone slowly began walking off back to whatever jobs they were doing before the explosion.

"Alden." You called as you slowly walked towards the stairs that lead to the watch platform, trying your best not to limp, but with no luck. "What the hell happened?" You questioned staring up at the man as he stood by the edge of the platform looking down at you.

"There was a herd. People over the walkies said that Rick somehow blew the bridge to kill the walkers." The man answered and your eyes went wide in shock, you didn't know what to expect, but you definitely weren't expecting that.

"Shit, is he okay? Are the others okay?" You asked, but Alden just shrugged his shoulders and you sighed. "If you don't hear anything from anyone in the next 10 minutes I'm going out there."

"I can't let you do that. Jesus told me to not let you go anywhere. You shouldn't even be up and walking around with that bullet wound." Alden responded and you rolled your eyes, of course your brother said that.

"Doesn't mean I cant ride over there and shoot." You responded pointing towards your quad bike near Paul's trailer and Alden sighed.

"I'll tell you what, if they aren't back before dark I will take you there myself. Now go rest your leg." He instructed and you nodded, knowing that was probably the best deal you were going to get.

You glanced around the community happy that everyone seemed to be working and doing their own thing now so you walked over to one of the metal picnic tables that were set up near the trailers and took a seat. You could see the gates clearly from where you sat, so you wouldn't miss it when the others got back.

You weren't entirely sure how long you sat there, but by the time the front gates finally opened the sun was slowly starting set over the treetops. You could see the group Paul had taken out walk slowly through the gates with their heads hung low followed by Paul, Maggie, Enid and Tara, but you immediately knew something was wrong.

You quickly stood up, ignoring the pain in your leg as you called out to Maggie, Enid and Tara who all glanced over at you before they continued walking towards the Barrington House, but even from that distance you could still see the pain in their eyes. What the hell happened?

You watched as the others all went off on their own ways either putting horses away or disappearing into the trailers or the Barrington House, every single person seeming upset and disturbed. The more you watched the more you could feel yourself panicking, Maggie looked like she had been crying and Tara and Enid didn't seem that far off either, something bad must have happened.

Eventually you spotted Paul as he finished putting his horse away before glancing around the community, clearly trying to find you.

"What happened? People were saying over the walkie that Rick blew the bridge to stop a herd." You called out as Paul began walking over to you, but you could tell that whatever happened was clearly bothering him as well, despite his best efforts at keeping his expression neutral. He was your twin brother, you could practically read him like a book.

"Yeah, he did. Y/N, come sit down I have a couple things to tell you." Paul replied, reaching your side as he motioned towards the metal picnic table behind you.

"Okay. What's going on? You're kinda scaring me. Is everyone alright?" You asked, sitting down where you were earlier as Paul sat beside you with a heavy sigh.

"Rick didn't make it, Y/N." He said causing your head to quickly snap around in his direction. No, no you had to have heard him wrong. Rick wasn't gone, it was Rick Grimes for crying out loud, he had survived so much since the start of all of this... couldn't be dead.

"What?"

"He sacrificed himself for everyone. He was on the bridge when he blew it. I'm so sorry." Paul explained, tears rising in his own eyes as you looked over at him. Hoping, praying, that this was just some kind of sick joke, but once you looked into your brothers eyes you knew it wasn't. Rick was really gone.

"I..." You trailed off, not knowing what to say, but when the words didn't come, the tears did as you broke down crying. 

Paul quickly pulled you into a hug, letting you sob into him as you clutched at his blue Henley. You weren't even aware you were doing it, you weren't aware of much of anything during the next few minutes as you cried, slowly processing that Rick was dead.

"I'm so sorry." Paul whispered, holding your tightly, not caring that his entire right shoulder and chest was now covered in your tears as he gently rubbed small circles over your back trying to calm you down. You weren't sure how long you stayed like that, it felt like hours, but was probably only 10 minutes before your brain suddenly clicked into gear as you quickly pulled away.

"Daryl, oh my God. Where's Daryl? I have to-" You frantically said, standing up from the table ignoring the burning pain in your leg as you took a step away, but before you could walk any further Paul grabbed your arm stopping you.

"Y/N, wait." He quickly said, letting go of your arm as he took in your red and teary eyes and sighed releasing your arm. "That's the other thing I needed to tell you."

"I-is Daryl dead?" You asked, your voice barely above a whisper as you stared at your brother with pleading eyes, but he quickly shook his head.

"No. I don't so, he's just gone. He walked off once Rick blew the bridge, not saying anything to anyone. I tried talking to him, but he didn't want to talk, he didn't want anyone going after him either. The only words I got out of him were, 'Y/N will understand'." Paul explained and if it was even possible you felt your heart break even more as you collapsed to the ground. Your shaky legs too weak to hold you up any longer as you hit the dirt, letting out a pained scream as landed on your bad leg.

"Y/N!" Paul shouted, rushing to your side as he dropped down beside you, his hands hovering over your knee not knowing what to do, but clearly realising that you had aggravated the wound further.

"He's not coming back is he?" You asked, lifting your head to meet your brothers worried gaze as he wrapped his arms over your shoulders, holding you gently.

"I don't know. He isn't thinking clearly at the moment, just give him time." Paul replied, but deep down you had a bad feeling that time didn't really matter anymore. Daryl had just lost another brother, you had just lost your best friend... nothing would ever be the same again.


	7. Chapter 7

You hadn't cried since Paul broke the news to you. You didn't have the right to cry about it, Rick had died and you weren't even there to help him. Rick had died and you weren't there for Daryl. The three of you had been through hell and back together. You always had each others backs right from the start, against walkers, the inmates at the prison, the Governor, the Claimers, the cannibals at Terminus, the Wolves, the Saviours; you always had each others backs and the one time you weren't there to help, Rick died and Daryl left because of it.

You wanted to be angry at, Daryl. You wanted to be furious at him for leaving after something like this happened, for not even saying goodbye or telling you where he was going. You wanted to hate him, but you couldn't. You could never hate, Daryl.

You understood that he just lost his brother, but you had all lost Rick. Rick was your best friend, you had been together since the very start and now he was gone. Rick was gone and you were still here, how? If anyone was going to survive in this world it would be Rick Grimes, not you.

"Y/N, we've been over this. You aren't going out there to look for them until your leg has healed up properly. You're still limping." Paul suddenly said as you finished securing your compound bow to the front of your quadbike and glanced over your shoulder to find him walking down the steps of his trailer towards you.

He was still fast asleep when you quietly exited his trailer earlier, but clearly not anymore. He was still in his tracksuit pants and tank top, his hair scruffy and all over the place and you knew he had literally just woken up.

The sun was just starting to rise over the walls of Hilltop and you were shocked that your brother was actually awake, he had never been a morning person. Before the world ended he was one of those people who needed his full 10 hours of sleep and then another half an hour in the mornings to have his coffee and breakfast before he was even approachable. Although, now he wasn't nearly as bad, he still wasn't one to wake up early.

"It's been nearly two months. I can't just sit around inside these walls while Daryl is out there somewhere and nobody's found Rick's body, I have to look." You argued, turning back towards your quad bike about to climb on when suddenly a pair of hands grabbed your shoulders, stopping you.

"I know. Y/N, I know. But, Rick wouldn't want you out there risking your life when you're still healing. Daryl wouldn't either." Paul tried to say, but you shook your head as you turned around towards him.

"Then why isn't Daryl here? Rick's dead and Daryl just..." You trailed off as you felt tears beginning to rise in your eyes, but you forced them back down. Paul's expression quickly turning from worried to sympathetic as he stared at you.

"Rick saved me right at the start. When I was heading to Atlanta to try and find you. He saved my life and I couldn't save him." You whispered, looking down at your feet as you felt Paul squeeze your shoulder gently. 

"How can I help? Please Y/N, let me help you." Paul begged as he looked at you hopelessly, not knowing what to do, but you just shook your head.

"You can't." You replied, shrugging his hand off your shoulder as you climbed onto the quad and started the bike up. "I'll be back before dark. Don't try and stop me."

"Y/N, please-" Paul began to say, but you shook your head as you put the bike into gear and rode off towards the gates, leaving your brother standing by his trailer as he watched your ride out the gate.

Hours, upon hours, upon hours of walking and riding through the woods, but not even a single sign of Daryl or Rick's body. All their tracks would be long gone, so it was basically trying to find a needle in a haystack, but like hell you were going to just give up. If you didn't find them today, then you would try again tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that, until you found them.

By the time you rode back through Hilltops gates, the sun was starting to set in the distance. You could see Maggie and Paul standing on the balcony of Barrington House, baby Hershel in her arms as they spoke. They both gave you a friendly wave from where they were standing as you nodded towards them before parking your bike beside Paul's trailer.

Before you even had a chance to open the door to his trailer for a much needed shower, Tara's voice suddenly filled the air as she called out to you.

You quickly stopped and turned around to the find the other woman jogging towards you, a bright smile on her face and you found yourself smiling back at her. It feels like forever since you last smiled or even last spoke to Tara.

"Jesus said you went out today, I'm guessing you didn't find anything?" She asked, although it seemed like she already knew the answer as you shook your head. "Look, you're one of my best friends and I know how much Rick meant to you and with Daryl on hiatus, I get that you're hurting. But, you have friends here who care about you; me, Maggie, Enid, Alden, even Hershel is missing you. You don't have to shut us out, alright?" Tara said, taking another step towards you as you dropped your head, not wanting her to see the tears in your eyes.

You knew they all cared about you. Hell, every time Enid dropped by to check out your bullet wound or the cut on your head that had finally healed but left a nasty scar across your forehead, she would always stay after she was finished and tried getting you to talk or do something with her.

"I know. It's just..." You trailed off, not knowing how to express what you wre trying to say when suddenly Tara pulled your into a hug.

"It's okay, I get it. Just don't push us away." She whispered as she hugged you tightly before pulling away, her hands still on your shoulders as she stared at you and you nodded. "Good, now go have a shower, you're covered in dirt and walker guts." She commented causing you to chuckled slightly.

"I will. Thank you, Tara." You replied giving the woman a small smile before you walked into Paul's trailer.

-

As the weeks turned into months and eventually a year, things began settling down. The pain from losing Rick was still there and you doubted it would ever disappear, but you were slowly getting used to it. Not a day goes by where you don't think about him or Daryl.

Tara had now moved to Hilltop for good, telling you that Michonne had practically isolated Alexandria from the world and that she had a baby boy now too, so that was a shock and made you sad all over again when you realised that Rick had a baby boy that he never got to meet. But, she also mentioned that Daryl was at Alexandria a few times while she was there, so you knew he was still alive. Although, you weren't sure if that made you relieved or mad that he visited the people at Alexandria, but not his own wife.

You continued going out to look for Rick, although now that your bullet wound had healed you usually walked, wanting to save fuel on your quad bike. Sometimes Paul would join you in searching, the two of you just walking through the woods and around the bridge trying to find any sign of Rick. Paul usually talked most the time, bringing up memories from before and when you were kids and you knew he did that try make you smile and to stop you from worrying too much about Daryl.

Today it was just you out searching. Paul was busy helping Maggie with something and you knew he had a children's class later this afternoon where he taught martial arts and self-defence to the kids at Hilltop.

You had your compound bow slung over your shoulder, your machete in your hands ready as you walked through the woods. Without Paul it was quiet and you found yourself missing your twins company, but you knew he couldn't be with you every day. He had duties at Hilltop and people counting on him, he couldn't come out searching everyday even though if it was up to him he probably would.

You had only been wandering through the woods for about an hour when you came across a set of tracks that looked awfully similar to the tread marks of Daryl's motorcycle and you froze.

"Holy shit." You gasped as you knelt down beside the tyre mark, brushing your fingers over the dirt. It's been over a year now and this was the first indication you had found that Daryl was around here, that he had been here. Daryl had been right here a few hours ago, he had been right here.

Without a second of hesitation you quickly stood back up and began following the tracks, you didn't want to get your hopes up. For all you knew it could be a complete stranger with a similar motorcycle, but it could be Daryl and that was all that mattered as you ran through the woods, following the tracks.

You ran until your lungs burned. Until your breathing was quick, short gasps desperately trying to get oxygen in your body and then you kept running for a few more minutes before you had to stop. Your vision blurring for a second as you tried focusing on taking deep breaths, your hand resting on the nearest tree to keep your up right.

You could feel sweat dripping down your forehead and you knee was really starting to ache. This was the first time you've run this far since you got shot and it seemed your bullet wound above your knee didn't agree with it.

You barely had a minute to catch your breath before you felt a single raindrop hit your nose, followed by another and within a split second the few spits of rain turned into a downfall.

"Shit." You cursed under your breath as you quickly took off running again, following the tyre tracks, knowing that you only had about half an hour before the tracks would get washed away. But, as the rain began getting heavier the tracks barely lasted another five minutes before it all turned into mud and once distinct tyre marks completely vanished.

"No." You gasped as you stopped running, resting your hands over your knees as you tried to catch your breath as you stared at the now muddy forest floor below you. Any sign of Daryl being here, now completely gone. No, this couldn't be the end. You had finally found something, it couldn't just end like this.

"Daryl?!" You yelled, scanning your surroundings around you as the rain continued to fall, your clothes and hair absolutely drenched, but that was the last thing on your mind right now.

"Daryl?!" You continued to shout, not caring that you might attract walkers as you walked aimlessly around the woods, your eyes constantly searching your surroundings trying to fid any sign of your husband.

Suddenly, your leg slipped from underneath a tree root and you barley had any time to brace yourself as you body hit the ground, the back of your head slamming against a rock as sudden pain exploded through your head.

The world began to spin around you as you laid on your back, the rain pouring down on top of you and for a moment you thought you were gonna pass out when suddenly a dogs bark filled the air followed by the roar of a motorcycle and the last thing you saw was a figure running towards you through the thick rainfall before everything turned black.

-

"Ya with me? Y/N?" A rough southern voice shouted as you felt someone press their fingers against your neck. "C'mon, girl. I need ya to wake up." The person repeated and it took you a few seconds to realise that the voice belonged to Daryl. Daryl was here. He was alive. You had found him.

"Y/N? Please, baby, I can't get ya outta here if ya don't wake up." Daryl pleated and that was all it took as you forced your eyes open. Everything was blurry at first until your eyes settled on familiar crystal blue ones and you sighed with relief.

"D-Daryl?" You tried to ask, your voice coming out rough and croaky as you stared up at him, his body leaning over you, blocking your body from the rain as a dog bark filled the air. You glanced to your left, the movement sending a shockwave of pain through your head, but you saw it. A dog. There was a dog standing behind Daryl. How hard did you hit your head?

"I'm here baby. M'sorry, I'm so sorry." Daryl whispered and you weren't sure if the water falling down his cheeks was from the rain or his tears, but you didn't get any time to think about it before Daryl started pulling off his green poncho, revealing his usual leather vest and black buttoned up shirt underneath.

"Here." Daryl mumbled, helping you sit up as he quickly pulled the poncho over your body and you didn't realise your body was shaking until Daryl grabbed your shoulders forcing you to look at him. "I need to get ya outta the rain. Can ya sit on the back of my bike or are ya gonna pass out on me?" He asked worriedly as he turned your head slightly to look at the cut on the back of your head that you were pretty sure was bleeding, but you honestly had no idea.

"I'm fine." You said, your voice shaky and by the expression on Daryl's face he clearly didn't believe you. "Help me up." You instructed which seemed to get Daryl moving as he stood up and helped you to your feet.

The next few minutes went by in a flash. Your head was thumping in pain as you let Daryl lead you to his motorcycle. You could hear him yelling at his dog, but you had no idea what he was saying before he helped you onto his bike and you instantly wrapped your arms around his stomach before he started the bike and took off through the woods.

You weren't sure if you had passed out again, but by the time you opened yoru eyes you could see the walls of Hilltop coming into view, the rain still falling from the dark sky above you. Within a few minutes you were inside the gates of Hilltop, Daryl's dog trailing behind the bike before he came to a stop in front of the infirmary trailer.

"Ya with me?" Daryl asked, glancing over his shoulders towards you and you nodded slightly, unable to get yourself to speak as you closed your eyes for a second trying anything to dull the pain coming from the back of your head.

You felt Daryl climb off the bike as you opened your eyes again to find him walking towards someone, but you couldn't see who it was until the person suddenly pushed Daryl backwards in anger revealing your brother standing in front of him. Oh shit.

You quickly climbed off the bike, nearly falling over in the process as you grabbed it for stability as you glanced back towards them. Daryl didn't fight back as Paul pushed him again and you knew your brother could easily kick Daryl's ass if he wanted to, but he was clearly holding himself back.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back here." Paul snarled, taking a step towards Daryl in anger, but Daryl just nodded, not knowing what else to say which seemed to piss your brother off even more and you knew he was about to start yelling.

"Paul, it's okay." You called out, hating how weak your voice sounded, but it clearly got his attention as he looked over Daryls shoulders and his eyes widened when he saw you leaning against Daryl's bike.

"Hey, what happened?" Paul quickly questioned as he rushed over to you, Daryl close behind him. "C'mon, let's get you out of this rain." He said, wrapping his arm around your shoulders as he began walking you into the infirmary. You heard Daryl tell his dog to stay and if it wasn't for the throbbing headache you would have asked if he really named his dog 'Dog', but that was a question for later.

Your body was still shaking from your drenched clothes, Daryl's poncho not doing much other than keeping more rain from soaking your clothes. Paul lead you over to the bed on the other side of the empty room, helping you sit down as he checked the cut on the back of your head.

"Y/N-" Daryl began to say from behind your brother as he took a step forward, but Paul quickly turned around shaking his head.

"No. You've done enough." Paul snapped, causing Daryl to flinch as he took a step back, lowing his head in shame.

"Paul! Stop!" You yelled, glaring at your brother. "Go get Enid, I need to talk to Daryl." You said, trying your best to keep your voice strong as your brother glanced back towards you his anger quickly disappearing as he nodded and walked out the room.

You sighed, rubbing your face with shaky hands as you looked over at Daryl who hadn't moved from where he standing on the other side of the room, his expression covered in guilt.

"You just left... You left and Paul had to tell me about Rick sacrificing himself and that you had just walked off. You left and you didn't even say anything to me!" You said a bit louder than you meant to, but you didn't care as tears of anger filled your eyes. "I didn't know where you were or if you were even alive. I thought... I thought I'd never see you again."

"M'sorry." Daryl began to say, lifting his head to look at you. His wet hair sticking to his face, but you didn't miss the tears brimming in his eyes.

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it, Dixon. You're my husband and you..." You trailed off, your voice breaking at the end as a tear rolled down your cheek and you forced yourself to take a deep breath.

"I know." Daryl sighed, walking over to you as he sat down on the bed beside you, fiddling with his hands in his lap as he spoke. "At first I just left because I needed space, I needed time after... and then I started tryin' to find his body to put him down, but I never found it... and I guess bein' out there became easier."

You glanced over at Daryl beside you and you knew he was trying to hold himself together as he stared down at his lap. "Why didn't you tell me?" You asked quietly, watching Daryl lower his head even more as he took a small shaky breath before tilting his head towards you.

"Couldn't face ya. Rick was your best friend, he... It was my fault he was out there. I took him on my bike and if I didn't do that then he wouldn't have been there when the herd came and he wouldn't have been all heroic... he'd still be here." Daryl replied as a few tears escaped his eyes which only made your own tears fall too. It's been over a year since Rick died, has Daryl been blaming himself since then? That was a stupid question, you knew Daryl, of course he'd blame himself for this.

"Rick wasn't your fault." You replied, but Daryl shook his head.

"It was."

"It wasn't. Nobody blames you, I don't blame you." You repeated as you wrapped your arms around Daryl, momentarily forgetting about the pain in your head as you pulled Daryl into a tight hug. His body was shaking and you knew it wasn't because of how drenched he was. "Rick loved you like a brother, he wouldn't blame you either, Daryl. It wasn't your fault." You whispered.

"M'sorry. I'm so sorry." Daryl mumbled and you hugged him tightly as he buried his face in the crook of your neck. You weren't sure which one you needed this hug more, but neither of you wanted to let go.

-

Enid had cleaned up the cut on the back of your head, wrapping a bandage around your head to stop the bleeding. She said that you had a minor concussion, but nothing a good nights sleep and rest couldn't fix. Paul and Daryl refused to leave your side, but you ended up falling asleep on your bed in Pauls trailer, but you told Daryl to go catch up with Maggie and the others before hand, so you hoped he did. Seeing Maggie and Tara would be good for him.

"She still asleep?" Daryl's voice asked from somewhere in the trailer as you heard the front door shut. You were about to roll over and tell him that you were awake, but when Paul began talking you stopped.

"Yeah. You can bring your dog inside, it's still raining outside." Your brother replied from somewhere to your left and you figured he was sitting at the table.

"Dog." Daryl suddenly called opening the door to the trailer again, the sound rain now louder before you heard the dog walk in as Daryl shut the door again. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes as you heard Daryl pull out one of the chairs and sat down by the table too.

"I didn't mean what I said earlier, I'm sorry." Paul apologised.

"She's your sister, ya had every right to say what ya did." Daryl replied, his southern drawl thick as he spoke.

"Doesn't mean I had the right to snap at you like that." Paul added and you couldn't help but smile softly listening to the two of them. "She was out there everyday, you know? Once the bullet wound healed, well even before it healed properly, she was out there everyday looking for you and Rick."

"Sounds like her." Daryl mumbled causing Paul to chuckle as the two of them sat in silence for a couple of minutes. "I can't stay here. I got a camp in the woods, I can't stop lookin' for Rick. I won't ever stop lookin'."

"You can live here and still look for him. You don't have to leave. Y/N wouldn't want you leave. I don't want you to leave." Paul replied quietly.

"I know, but-" Daryl began to say as you rolled over in bed to find the two of them sitting next to each other by the kitchen table, both of them turning around when they heard you move.

You noticed Daryl was wearing one of Paul's button-down shirts since his was drenched and you didn't miss his dog sitting on the ground by his feet.

"I'll go with you." You stated and both men looked at you in shock. "You have a camp, we can trade with Hilltop for supplies and stuff."

"Ya don't have to do that, ya have a life here. I don't wanna take ya away from it, or take ya away from your brother." Daryl responded, glancing over at Paul before turning back towards you.

"My sister is her own person, she can make her own decisions. But, as long as you guys visit regularly and take one of the walkies, so we can communicate, I'll be okay with it." Paul spoke up looking between Daryl and you as he spoke and you smiled.

"Good, because neither of you had a vote on the manner." You replied causing both men to chuckle as Paul rolled his eyes. "But, we're staying in this trailer until the rain stops." You added.

"We're stayin' here 'till ya concussion is gone, no sooner." Daryl corrected as Paul nodded in agreement and now it was your turn to roll your eyes, but you wouldn't have it any other way. The love of your life and your twin brother teaming up against you, you missed that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s taken longer than usual to post this chapter, real life has just been hectic and work is so busy, but I finally had a chance to post this and I hope you all enjoyed it. We got Season 9b coming up and from there I create my own storyline/ending to the Whisperer arc so I hope you all enjoy it. 
> 
> Until next time, stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	8. Chapter 8

***Five Years Later***

"Good morning, sleepy head." You greeted, glancing over your shoulder as Daryl walked out the tent.

His hair was all scruffy from sleep as he rubbed his tired eyes with a grunt which you knew meant 'good morning' causing you to chuckle. You turned back towards the campfire where you were cooking eggs that you got from Hilltop.

The two of you visited Hilltop at least once a month, bringing meat from hunts and supplies you sometimes scavenge to trade with the community. Paul was always happy whenever you showed up, Dog always with you as well. Sometimes you'd stay for a few hours, but most times you'd stay for a few days, helping out around the community where you could.

Maggie had left to go be with Georgie and the Commonwealth in DC, taking Hershel with her and leaving Paul in charge.

You knew he didn't like being the leader. He hated being stuck inside the walls for such long periods of time and sometimes left Tara in charge for a few days while he stayed with you and Daryl in the woods to get away from everything. But, despite all that, he was a bloody good leader. The people loved him and deep down you were pretty sure he kinda liked being the leader, but he'd never admit it.

Carol also visited your camp a couple times a year, but that was about it. You hadn't heard anything from Oceanside since after Rick died and you hadn't heard much about Alexandria either, but you knew Michonne had isolated the community from everyone which annoyed you, but you also understood why. Daryl had told you what happened, how those people that Michonne trusted kidnapped Judith and the other kids from Alexandria.

"Still can't believe this is real." Daryl muttered as he wrapped his arms around you from behind, placing a soft kiss to the top of your head.

"What's real?" You asked leaning back into Daryl's chest as he rested his chin on top of your head.

"Livin' like this with ya. Always wanted to live in the woods when I was kid, thought I'd just be alone in the woods or with Merle. But this... This is better than I could have ever imagined." Daryl admitted as he turned you around so you were facing him before he pressed a kiss to your lips. "I love ya." He whispered, pulling away slightly and you smiled.

"I love you too." You replied as you brushed his hair out of his face, your finger tracing across his scar over his eyes as you kissed him again causing Dog to suddenly bark from beside you. "We love you as well, Dog." You said, glancing down him causing Daryl to snort in amusement before he took a seat by the campfire.

"You're burnin' the eggs." He commented as you turned your attention away from Dog and looked towards the saucepan you had sitting on the campfire where four eggs were cooking.

"Well you're more than welcome to cook your own breakfast, Dixon." You responded, glancing over at Daryl who chuckled, but quickly shook his head. You rolled your eyes as you leant over the campfire and began serving the eggs up onto plates before handing him one.

"Are you taking Dog with you when you go spear fishing today?" You asked a few minutes later as you put your plate on the ground for Dog to eat the rest of your breakfast.

Daryl had said yesterday that he was gonna go further down the river and try his luck with fishing. You had fishing nets that you could set up in the river, but Daryl liked spear fishing better.

"Nah, he'll just scare the fish away, why's that?"

"Was going to check the traps later today, figured he could keep me company while you were fishing." You replied and Daryl nodded as he finished his last mouthful of food before he looked back towards you.

"Just be careful, alright?" He asked, looking over at you through his hair and rolled your eyes.

"I always am, Dixon."

-

***Three hours later***

"Dog, drop it!" You instructed as you pulled up to the next trap on your quad bike where Dog was already eating the rabbit that was caught in it and you sighed. You were totally gonna tease Daryl about his so called 'hunting dog' that eats the game before you can get to it.

"Okay, whatever finish eating." You responded as Dog looked over at you with half the rabbit hanging out his mouth before you began resetting the trap.

The traps you and Daryl had set up around the camp was for walkers, they were meant to keep walkers from getting into camp, but sometimes animals got caught in them too which was why you checked them daily. Getting stuck in a trap was no way for an animal to die, you'd rather hunt for food and put them out their misery quickly instead of them dying slowly in a trap, but sometimes this happened.

By the time you finished resetting the trap Dog had already finished the rabbit and was sitting by your bike waiting for you. But, just as you were about to climb back into your bike you spotted a red flare go up in the sky. What the hell?

You froze for a second as you stared at the flare, the person who fired it was probably 10 miles away at best guess. Your mind quickly flashed back to the day that Aaron had found your group in the barn and how Eric had fired a flare into the air when he was in trouble.

"Shit." You cursed, knowing you couldn't just ignore it. It might be someone from Hilltop in trouble or it could be a complete stranger and be a trap, but you were willing to take that risk.

"Dog, home!" You instructed, pointing in the direction of your camp which was about a mile East and you watched as Dog barked before he ran off back towards camp. At least he knew what that instruction meant, you thought to yourself as you quickly jumped on your quad and took off in the direction of the flare.

When you thought you were a few miles from where it was fired you parked the quad bike beside a tree, grabbing your compound bow from the holder you had mounted on the front of the bike before you took off running through the woods.

It wasn't long before you found the source of the flare as you spotted Rosita sitting against a tree. The empty flare gun was beside her, but what caught your attention was the blood running down her face from a cut on her forehead. Shit, this wasn't good.

"Rosita?" You shouted in a whisper as you glanced around the woods for any source of threat that might have done this to her but you couldn't see anything as you turned your attention back to the other woman.

"Rosita? What happened?" You questioned, slinging your bow over your shoulder as you crouched down in front of the other woman. It's been years since you had last seen her, but now was not the time for a happy reunion.

You gently grabbed the side of her face, turning her head towards you as she groaned and you knew she was barely conscious.

"Hey, hey, look at me. It's me, Y/N. What happened?" You asked, your hand still resting on the side of her face as you tried to get her to focus.

"E-Eugene... I left him in the barn." She whispered clearly out of breath as her eyes began to close. Shit, she was out here with Eugene and if she was hurt than he probably was too.

"What barn?" You questioned, but she didn't answer as you grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently, but there was nothing you could do, she was unconscious.

"Rosita? C'mon, I can't carry you back to my bike, work with me here." You muttered as the all too familiar sound of walkers growling filled the air.

You quickly stood up about to grab your bow from your shoulder to take down the walker but there was too many of them. Shit. You needed to get Rosita out of here. You glanced back down at the woman passed out against the tree before looking back towards the small herd in the distance.

"Damn it." You muttered, suddenly wishing that you had grabbed the walkie talkie Paul had given you. He told you to take it everywhere in case of an emergency, but of course the one day you leave in camp is the day you need it.

You quickly made sure your bow strap was secure over your shoulder before you knelt down beside Rosita as you picked her up, one arm under her thighs, the other under her back as you stood up and carried her bridal style.

"You're heavier than you look." You winced, glancing down at her unconscious body in arms before you began walking back in the direction of your bike.

Your arms and legs were burning just after a few steps and you were really starting to wish you never left your bike a few miles out.

Somehow you forced your body to keep walking for nearly 30 minutes, the growls of the walkers getting further and further away before the sound of horses neighing filled the air.

You quickly looked towards the two horses that were trotting towards you from the distance as you contemplated what to do. You had your handgun tucked behind your back through your belt for worst case scenario, but as the horses got closer you instantly relaxed when you realised who it was. Your brother and Aaron.

"Y/N, is that you?" Aaron shouted and you couldn't help the smile forming on your lips as you watched the two of them quickly dismounting their horses. "Shit, Rosita." Aaron gasped, spotting the woman in your arms as they rushed over to you.

"What happened? We saw your quad bike. Are you okay?" Paul quickly questioned, his eyes scanning you up and down for injuries before he glanced down at Rosita, spotting the blood along the side of her face.

"Don't know. Saw the flare and found her barely conscious. Help me get her on your horse." You said breathlessly as the two men quickly snapped to action and took the woman from your arms, relieving your aching body instantly as you took a few deep breaths.

"Wait, where's Eugene? I saw the two of them leave together." Aaron spoke up as he mounted his horse while you and Paul helped secure Rosita in front of him so she wouldn't fall off.

"She said she left him in a barn somewhere. But we have to get her to Hilltop." You answered as Paul helped you up onto the back of his horse.

"It'll be dark soon. Whichever barn he's in, we have to hope he'll be safe there until tomorrow. Let's go." Paul responded, glancing over at Aaron who nodded in agreement as they turned the horses around and began heading in the direction to where your bike was.

-

By the time you arrived at Hilltop it was well and truly dark. Your quad bike leading the way with the lights on so you guys could actually see where you were going.

Rosita was still unconscious when you arrived and you took her straight to the infirmary so Enid could take a look at her.

"Listen, everybody here is starting to notice how much you're gone. The fair is important to all of us, but we need you here." You heard Tara say as you were about to walk through the front door to Barrington house in search of your brother, but by the tone in the woman's voice you were starting to think you should turn around and talk to him later. They were clearly having a serious conversation.

"Why?" Paul's voice questioned and you knew your brother, you knew when he was getting annoyed and that was his annoyed tone.

"Because they made you our leader." Tara said as you opened the front door, instantly spotting the two of them sitting at the bottom of the stairs to the right side of the room.

"Well, maybe they shouldn't have." He responded, standing up from the stairs in frustration, his eyes glancing over at you by the door before he turned back around to Tara.

"Look, I know you think you're just keeping a promise to Maggie, but you took this job. So stop pretending it's just for now. She's not here. You are. Your people are counting on you. Maggie is counting on you. I'm counting on you." Tara replied, standing up to meet Paul's gaze as she took a deep breath. "I came to tell you that I'm going out in the morning to look for Eugene. You need to stay here, keep this place together." Tara added, not giving him time to respond as she walked off, heading to the front door where you were still standing.

"I'll go with you tomorrow. I can show you where I found Rosita and I can probably follow her tracks back to whatever barn she left him in, Daryl taught me how to track years ago." You explained as Tara reached your side and she sighed with relief.

"Thank you, I was going to ask if you could come. I'll see you later, I got a few things I gotta do before everyone calls it a night." She replied and you nodded in understanding as you stepped away from the door, watching as she walked out before you turned back around towards Paul who was leaning against the staircase railing already looking at you.

"You heard all of that?" He asked and you shrugged.

"I heard enough. She's right though and I know you won't admit it, but you make a damn good leader and God knows why but these people seem to really love you." You teased, unable to stop yourself from grinning as Paul rolled his eyes before walking over to you.

"Sometimes I just wish I could live out in the woods like you and Daryl do. Get away from all this, the walls, the responsibility of being a leader..." He trailed off shaking his head as you jabbed your elbow into his arm playfully.

"You could always take Aaron and Gracie and live in the woods together, it'll just be like Daryl, Dog and I." You joked, glancing over at your brother to find him still shaking his head, but you could see the smile spreading across his face, so you'll call that a win. "You and Aaron have been having those secret little meetings in the woods for well over three years now. If he's not sick of you by now then I think you're in the clear."

Paul scoffed, glancing over at you. "I seriously regret telling you about all that." He responded as you rolled your eyes, wrapping your arm around his shoulders.

"We're twins, we tell each other everything. Speaking of such, I do remember you telling me many times about your crush on Aaron, just man up and tell him he's cute. What's the worst that could happen?" You asked.

"He could hear me." Paul pointed out, glancing over at you as lifted your arm off his shoulders and pushed him playfully.

Your brother has had a crush on Aaron for years now, but never had the guts to actually tell the other man. Hell, you doubted that he has even tried to hint his feelings towards him, yet. But, all that was about to change.

You haven't seen Aaron for six years, let alone seen him and Paul in the same room, but now they were both in Hilltop, at least for a night, so you were going to make the most of that opportunity.

"Where's your walkie talkie? I left mine at camp and Daryl is probably freaking out since it's dark and I'm still not back." You explained, glancing up stairs as Alden walked out one of the rooms, spotting you standing by the doorway with Paul as he gave you a friendly wave and you waved back.

"I told you to always carry your walkie talkie with you, that's the whole reason why I gave it to you." Paul responded, clearly annoyed as you looked back towards him to find him glaring at you.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just checking the traps, I didn't think I'd be running through the woods with Rosita unconscious in my arms. Just give me your walkie." You said, holding your hand out as he reached for the walkie that was usually strapped to his belt under his long jacket.

"I don't have it, its in my trailer." Paul informed with the most guiltiest expression you had ever seen plastered on his face

"Oh, wow. You're such a hypocrite." You laughed causing him to roll his eyes.

"Alright, we're both stupid. Come on." Paul said as he began walking out the front door and you followed him towards his trailer.

He showed you where his walkie was in his trailer, before saying something about going to find Aaron and see if he wanted to have dinner with you guys, since you all missed the community dinner Hilltop has every night.

You grabbed the walkie from Paul's kitchen table before taking a seat on his coach in the middle of the room, lifting your bad leg gingerly up onto the coffee table as you rubbed your knee where the bullet wound was.

It has been over six years since you were shot, but you still got stiffness during really hot or cold weather and it ached from time to time. But, carrying Rosita for nearly half an hour clearly irritated it a little since it was aching more than usual.

"Daryl? Do you copy?" You asked through the walkie as you held it to your mouth and waited, hoping that he was somewhere in camp and could hear it.

"Y/N? Are ya alright? Where are ya?" Daryl's panicked voice questioned through the walkie and you sighed with relief as you bought the devise back up to your mouth.

"I'm fine. It's a long story, but I'm at Hilltop." You replied, leaning your head back against the couch as you got comfortable.

"What happened?"

"Found Rosita in the woods basically unconscious, then Paul and Aaron found us and we took her back to Hilltop. She's okay, just dehydrated and possible concussion, but she left Eugene in a barn, we're gonna look for him in the morning." You briefly explained, knowing you could fill Daryl in on the details later.

"Alright, we'll be at Hilltop in the mornin'." Daryl replied and you frowned, did he say we? Who's we? "Carol and Henry showed up. The kid wants to start learning how to be a blacksmith, Carol wants us to watch him while he's at Hilltop." He explained as if he could read your mind.

"Henry's there? He must be so grown up now." You said, remembering the last time you saw him was when he decked Justin on the bridge way back when. Man, that felt like a lifetime ago.

The door to the trailer suddenly clicked open and you looked up just as Paul and Aaron walked in, both of them giving you a friendly smiles as he put the walkie back to your mouth. "I gotta go, I will see you guys in the morning. I love you, stay safe."

"You too, I love ya." Daryl replied and you smiled, his southern drawl sounding deeper over the walkie as you put the device down on the coffee table.

"Daryl, Carol and Henry will be here in the morning. She's gonna ask you if Henry can stay here for a while and learn blacksmithing with Earl. Daryl will help us look for Eugene too." You explained, rubbing your knee as you looked up to find Paul standing by the stove mixing something in a pot while Aaron sat at the kitchen table.

"Earl will enjoy taking on a new apprentice, Henry will love it." Paul replied, glancing over his shoulder towards you, his eyes flashing to your knee with slight concern. "Your knee playing up? You were limping a little earlier."

"Wait, what happened to your knee?" Aaron asked curiously.

"Day after you lost your arm, a Saviour shot me. I guess it didn't heal properly because it gets sore from time to time, but it's fine." You replied, shrugging your shoulders as you nodded towards his metal arm.

"Nice arm, Paul told me about it, didn't realise it looked so good thought. How's Gracie? She must be nearly seven now, right?" You asked, trying to get the attention away from your knee which seemed to work as Aaron smiled thinking about his daughter.

"Yeah, she's growing up too fast. She's really good though, got long blonde hair. I think her and Judith are having a competition to see who's hair can grow the longest." He replied with a soft chuckle as you smiled sadly. You hadn't seen Judith since Rick's death and you hadn't even seen RJ yet, but Daryl had told you about him. God, you wished you could go see her, would she still remember you?

"Shit, sorry. You haven't been to Alexandria since... Sorry, I wasn't thinking." He quickly apologised but you shook your head.

"It's fine, I just miss Judith... I miss all of them." You admitted, glancing over at Aaron who nodded in understanding, you guys were family, you were still family and that was never going to change, even if you were all split up across Hilltop, Alexandria and the Kingdom. "After we get Eugene back, I'm gonna go back to Alexandria with you guys and convince Michonne to let Alexandria join the Fair."

"Good luck with that, she's never going to agree. She won't even let the Council take another vote on the subject." Aaron replied shaking his head in disappointment and you sighed rubbing your face with your hands.

You understood why Michonne had closed Alexandria off, she had good intentions, wanting to keep her kids and community safe from any outside threats. But she was going about it the wrong way and in the process she was pushing her friends and family away. You loved Michonne, but Rick wouldn't that. He would want the communities to be together, trading together and looking out for one another, you couldn't even tell Rick what his daughter and son looked like, something needed to change.

"The Kingdom needs this fair, Paul told me about the letter Ezekiel and Carol sent out, things are getting bad there, they need our help. They're our family and I love Michonne, but things need to change. Keeping Alexandria isolated from everyone... it's gonna do all of us more harm than good." You said, watching as Paul began pouring the strew from the pot into three bowls before he glanced back at you.

"I agree, when we get back tomorrow, I'll go with you guys. She's more likely to listen and reason with us if we're both there." Paul replied and you didn't miss the bright smile that grew on Aaron's face after hearing your brother say that.

You stood up from the couch as Paul placed the bowls on the kitchen table and you smiled to yourself when he sat beside Aaron instead of his usual chair while you sat on the opposite side of the table. Those two were so in love and neither of them knew it.

"Wait." Paul suddenly said after a few minutes of silence as he put his spoon down and glanced between you and Aaron. "I only have the foldout mattress under the couch, I don't have any other spare beds or couches."

"I'm sure there's a spare room or couch in Barrington House, I could sleep there." Aaron suggested, but you quickly shook your head. Step One of Operation get your brother a boyfriend was to get them to share the same room for the night.

"Nah, you sleep here. I'm sure Tara has a spare bed or couch in her room or I'll go bunk with Enid and Alden, make things awkward between the new couple." You suggested causing the two men to chuckle as you continued eating the stew.

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude between brother and sister." Aaron asked, glancing over at you with a questioning look as you gave him a reassuring smile.

"Trust me, my brother would prefer your company." You replied and you could just feel your brother death staring you out the corner of your eye and you had to stop yourself from laughing. Paul knew exactly what you were trying to do and he will thank you for it later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a great day and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one should be up on the weekend if I get myself in gear and I think you all know what's about to come up in the next few fics. 
> 
> Until next time, stay safe everyone and have good day xx


	9. Chapter 9

  
The next morning you woke up and began getting ready to head out. Paul somehow convinced Tara to swap places so he could join you guys out there and she reluctantly agreed to stay behind and keep the community running.

Daryl, Henry, Carol and Dog arrived shortly after and you were right, Henry had grown up so much. But, he still recognised you and gave you a hug when you greeted him and your heart swelled when he still called you Aunt Y/N.

You ended up leaving your quadbike by Paul's trailer and rode on the back of Daryl's motorcycle while Paul and Aaron rode on horse back behind you, with Dog running by your side.

It took a few hours, but you finally reached the spot where you had found Rosita yesterday and Daryl managed to follow her tracks out into an open grass field, but were stopped when you spotted a herd of walkers exactly where her tracks where.

By the look of it there was roughly 130 walkers just milling around and there was no way you'd get through them. Rosita's tracks went straight through the middle and looked to be leading back into the woods.

You ended up doubling back and going around the herd, it was the safest option. Daryl left his motorcycle back by the rode and you took the horses a bit further, but ended up leaving them and going the rest of the way on foot.

You glanced over your shoulder towards Paul and Aaron who were walking a few metres behind you and Daryl, talking quietly between them. You could hear bits and pieces of their conversation.

"I think you'd be a damn good leader if you'd just stop fighting it." Aaron stated and you smiled to yourself, glad that somebody else was saying this to your brother, but you didn't get a chance to hear his response when Daryl suddenly stopped walking, grabbing your shoulder to stop you as well.

You were about to ask why he stopped when suddenly you could hear it. The herd. The herd had followed you? How?

"The herd, it's comin' for us. The wind is carryin' the sound." Daryl informed, turning around towards Paul and Aaron who had stopped their conversation, clearly sensing something was wrong when you and Daryl stopped walking.

"Well let's put some distance between us and them." You said, unzipping Daryl's backpack as you pulled out the small wound up alarm clock and handed it to him, watching as he turned the dial before throwing it as far as he could.

"C'mon." Daryl muttered, nodding in the opposite direction as the four of you began jogging back into the woods followed by Dog.

By the time you reached the barn it was dark outside. Paul, Daryl and Aaron all had torches, but you didn't since you wouldn't be able to shoot your bow if you were holding a torch, but between the three torches and the full moon, you could see fairly well.

"Go on boy, go find him." Daryl instructed as Dog raced up the steps and into the barn as the four of you quickly followed.

You and Daryl walked in first, his torch lighting up the old wooden barn as you scanned the room, your fingers holding the string of your bow ready to use, but the place was empty.

Dog seemed to be interested in something under a pile of hay as Daryl called him back.

Paul kicked the pile of hay, his boot connecting with something hard and you knew it must have been some kind of basement or trap hole below.

"Eugene? Are you in there?" Aaron whispered.

"Affirmative." Came a voice that you had not heard in a long time and you sighed with relief as the three guys quickly began pushing the hay away while you walked around the barn to make sure there weren't any threats.

You glanced back towards the three guys just in time to see them help the other man out the secret floor hole and he didn't seem to be badly injured or anything like Rosita was.

"Eugene, you alright?" Aaron asked, crouching down beside the man as Eugene's eyes scanned the barn, slightly shocked to find you, Paul and Daryl with him.

"I took a bad step and dislocated my knee. There was a herd on our six and Rosita was forced to stash me here." He explained and you nodded, Rosita told you that much before she passed out.

"Well, if it's dislocated we can just pop it back in-" Daryl began to say, but Eugene quickly cut him off.

"No. We have to get out of here. The herd that followed us is on it's way back." He argued as you continued walking around the barn, your bow in your hands ready.

"Y/N 'n I saw their tracks. They're gone." Daryl said.

"No, it's not. It's already been through here twice. It's looking for me. We have to get away before it comes back." Eugene responded as you stopped and turned to face him, his expression panicked as he glanced over at you.

"Eugene, you must have hit your head or something. This is just a herd of walkers we're talking about. They're long gone." You said, trying to reassure the man, but it clearly didn't do anything as he shook his head in terror.

"This wasn't a normal herd." He whispered, his voice wavering and you frowned. What the hell was he talking about?

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked, still crouched down beside him as Paul and Daryl stood by listening in confusion.

"When they passed us by, we could hear them. They were... they were whispering to each other." Eugene explained and you rolled your eyes as you glanced over at Paul who had the same shocked expression on his face. Yep, Eugene must have hit his head, that was just crazy.

"You mean they were talking?" Aaron asked as you shook your head and turned back around and looked out the window.

"I-I know how it sounds. But Rosita heard it too. She'll corroborate." Eugene stuttered, but before any of you could respond you spotted a herd of walkers stumbling out from behind a bunch of trees, heading straight for the barn.

"Shit, there's no way that's the same herd." You spoke up, turning back towards the group as Dog began barking at the walkers. Daryl quickly told Dog to be quiet as he looked over your shoulder at the herd in the distance.

"They got us cut off." Daryl muttered, turning his flashlight off so he didn't attract the walkers before the two of you turned back towards the three men. Eugene mumbling 'no' repeatedly under his breath and you knew the man was panicking. "We'll backtrack, we'll go around 'em."

"Old Route 28 isn't far. It's a straight shot back to the horses." Paul quickly informed as him and Aaron grabbed Eugene, wrapping his arms around their shoulders to help him walk while you and Daryl quickly lead them out through the back of the barn.

Your bows raised and Dog hot on your tail as you hurried through the woods in the direction of what you hoped was Route 28 like Paul had said.

It took a while with Eugene's knee still dislocated, but you eventually reached the old road, Paul and Daryl helping Eugene lean against an old rusty car while Aaron had doubled back to see if the herd was still following you.

"It doesn't make any sense. They shouldn't have doubled back like that and they definitely shouldn't have followed us all the way to the barn." Paul stated shaking his head as you, Paul and Daryl began scanning your surroundings while you waited for Aaron to get back. But your brother was right. Walkers couldn't do that, they couldn't track people, they shouldn't have been able to follow you... it didn't make any sense.

"I do have a theory to posit. The walkers are evolving." Eugene declared catching all of your attention as you quickly turned back towards the man like he had lost his mind.

"Oh, that's bullshit." Daryl muttered, glancing over at Eugene before he continued scanning the area with his flashlight.

"They're dead, they're not evolving." Paul argued, shaking his head in frustration and although you couldn't see your brothers face you could picture his dramatic eye roll that he'd no doubt be doing right now. You turned your attention back towards Eugene, trusting that Daryl could watch your backs while you talked.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with my brother. Walkers can't just evolve like that, it takes years for things to evolve. If they were evolving we would have noticed, but they aren't because they're dead." You stated, glancing over at Paul who nodded in agreement, but clearly Eugene wasn't on the same page.

"Being dead hasn't exactly stopped them from perambulating ad infinitum, though, has it? They're not dead in any sense that makes sense. It takes an impact to the cranium to stop them, which means the brain is alive, degraded as it may be. And if it's alive, it can change. Maybe even start remember things too, like how to talk." Eugene explained as you blinked at him in shock. What he said kinda made sense, but walkers evolving? No, that couldn't be possible, could it?

"What?" Daryl questioned in either confusion or shock, you weren't sure which but you knew he didn't believe it either, however to your surprise Paul seemed to be considering it a possibility.

"It's not any crazier than the dead being alive in the first place. If they can learn to talk, maybe they can learn strategy and how to hunt." Paul replied, shrugging his shoulders, but before any of could respond, Aaron finally came jogging out from the woods on the side of the road and by the panicked expression on the mans face, he didn't bring good news.

"They're right on our asses. We've gotta get to the horses fast." The man instructed, his eyes scanning the surroundings, but you could hear the herd in the distance, they were close.

"You have to leave me behind. I'm slowing you down and tiring you out. Every time we stop, the dead get closer." Eugene suddenly said, but you shook your head.

"Like hell we're leaving you behind. We came out here to find you and we're not leaving without you." You responded sternly as Eugene looked over at you with sad eyes as he shook his head.

"You don't have a choice." He replied, but before you could tell him to shut up and keep moving, your brother spoke up.

"It's not your call." He stated, staring at Eugene before he turned towards you, Daryl and Aaron. "The numbers actually work for us. We can split up. You three get him back to the horses. I'll wait for the herd to get here, then I'll draw them off in the other direction. Then I'll ditch them and meet you back at Hilltop." He explained as you quickly shook your head, not liking that plan at all. Your brother was not going to draw the herd away, that was not happening.

"We're stronger together." Aaron tried reasoning, but Paul shook his head.

"That doesn't help us. Our only way out of this is to avoid a fight." Paul argued, looking over at Aaron and you knew he was purposely not making eye contact with you, knowing you wouldn't like his plan one little bit.

"No. If anyone stays it's gonna be me." Daryl spoke up as he walked over to you and you quickly shook your head. First your brother and now your husband, why?

"No, neither of you are going to do that, we will find another way." You tried arguing as Daryl grabbed your shoulder and you knew you couldn't talk him out of this. "Daryl-"

"Stay with them, they need ya to get back to the horses. Go. Hell, I'll probably beat ya back." Daryl replied and you sighed, but nodded reluctantly as you quickly grabbed the back of his neck and placed a desperate kiss to his lips.

"Be careful." You whispered and Daryl nodded as he began taking a few steps backwards.

"You too, now go. Dog!" Daryl shouted and with that, he jogged off as you turned around to find Paul and Aaron already helping Eugene off the rusty old car as you quickly jogged over to them and began leading them back to the horses.

You had your bow up and ready as you trekked through the woods, Aaron and Paul helping Eugene behind you as you kept your pace quick, but slow enough for them to be able to keep up.

It wasn't long before the woods began to thin out as you walked straight into what you assumed were stone walls that lined the cemetery. You knew there was a cemetery around here somewhere, but where the hell was the gate to get inside? You couldn't just follow the wall and hope for the best, the herd was right on your tail and that made you panic even more because what happened to Daryl trying to distract them? Was he okay?

Shaking your head, you forced yourself not to think about it. You had to get back to the horses, that's all you could do at the moment so that is all you were going to focus on as your eyes scanned the wall until you spotted a small section where the wall had collapsed. Bingo.

"Here! Through here!" You shouted, glancing over your shoulder towards the three of them who were only a few metres behind you as you jumped over the gap in the wall.

"We can use it as a chokepoint to slow them down." Paul responded as you quickly turned back around, slinging your bow over your shoulder as Paul climbed through the gap before the two of you helped Aaron get Eugene up and over the collapsed part of the wall.

"C'mon!" You shouted, spotting the herd through the nightly fog that covered the area and you knew there was only a matter of seconds before they reached the wall.

"Move!" You yelled, as Aaron climbed over the wall before quickly throwing Eugene's free arm over his shoulder to help him.

"We're gonna get lost in here." Aaron commented from behind you as you followed the inside of the stone wall, your bow still in your hands in case there were already walkers inside.

"She's following the wall, there has to be a gate somewhere." You heard Paul respond, already knowing what you were thinking as you walked quickly, glancing over your shoulder occasionally to make sure the others weren't too far behind you before you finally reached a rusty iron gate.

You grabbed the gate with one hand and tried to push it open without hesitation, but it didn't move. Shit.

Quickly, you slung your bow over your shoulder, grabbing the iron gate with both hands.

"Take him." You heard Paul say from somewhere behind you before your brother suddenly appeared beside you as you both tried pushing on the gate, using your body weight to your advantage, but it wouldn't budge. God damnit.

"We can lift him over here." Paul suddenly suggested, pointing towards a lower part of the wall beside the gate, but it was still a good five feet high and you doubted you'd be able to get the man over, but it wasn't like you had a better idea.

But, before you could even attempt to get the bigger man over the wall, the all too familiar sound of walkers groaning filled the air.

"There's no time." Aaron stated as the three of you turned around to find the walkers stumbling towards you, some tripping over gravestones along the way and although it was hard to tell through the fog, you could almost guarantee that most the herd had gotten through the gap in the wall like you guys did.

"Eugene, keep working the gate. Aaron, Paul." You said, glancing over at the two men who were already pulling out their weapons, Aaron with his knife and Paul with his sword as the three of you began walking towards the walkers.

You drew your bow back, firing an arrow into the first one before the three of you began talking down the walkers left, right and centre. You had a knife strapped the end of your bow that was really starting to come in handy when you didn't have time to grab another arrow as you slammed the end of your bow into the walkers, killing them instantly.

You could see Paul out the corner of your eyes, slamming his sword into the nearest walker while Aaron seemed to be using his metal arm as a distraction for the walkers to bite before he stabbed them. Different kind of strategy, but it seemed effective.

"Y/N!" Paul suddenly shouted as a walker suddenly slammed into your side, sending you to the ground and dropping your bow as the walker landed on top of you.

You quickly grabbed the walkers shoulders to stop it's snapping jaws from reaching your face, but before you even had a chance to try reach for your machete strapped to your belt, Paul quickly ripped the walker away, throwing to the ground a few metres away as he stomped it's brain in with his boot.

"You alright?" He quickly asked, rushing back towards you as Aaron helped you to your feet and you nodded, not bothering to respond vocally as you glanced around your surroundings in confusion. Where did all the walkers go?

"Can you hear that?" Aaron whispered, panic spreading across his face causing you to frown even more as you froze and tried to listen and that's when you heard it. Whispering.

You couldn't understand what they were saying, but it was definitely whispers. Holy shit, Eugene was right, the walkers do talk.

You looked over at Paul and Aaron who both seemed about as shocked as you were right now before you heard Eugene talking to someone. You quickly turned in his direction and to your surprise Michonne was on the other side of the gate, along with two other women you didn't know, but assumed they must be from Alexandria.

"Go, Y/N and I got this. Get him out of here." Paul suddenly shouted, glancing over at Aaron who seemed a bit uncertain about leaving the two of you, but when Michonne shouted that the gate was open he quickly rushed over to help Eugene out.

You turned back towards the main part of the cemetery, spotting a few more walkers stumbling out through the fog before you glanced over at Paul who was already looking at you, a hint of a smile forming on his lips and you rolled your eyes. Of course your brother was enjoying this, he lived for these moments, being outside the walls of Hilltop, exploring and taking down walkers.

"Youngest first." Paul said, motioning towards the walkers causing you to chuckle as knocked an arrow onto the string of your bow before glancing back towards him to find Paul smiling.

"You're only 12 minutes older than me." You replied, turning your attention back to the walkers as you drew the string back until it touched your cheek.

"Best 12 minutes of my life." Paul commented and you could literally hear the grin in his tone as you rolled your eyes before aiming your sights on the first walker.

You released the string, your arrow hitting it's mark before you glanced back at your brother.

"Shut up and help." You instructed, unable to stop yourself from smiling as Paul grinned, his hands tightening around his sword before he began taking down the walkers with you.

His martial arts skills coming in handy and you found yourself mainly watching him fight as he took down the walkers like it was second nature. You watched as he kicked his body off one walker as he spun in the air, slicing his sword through the next walker before landing gracefully on the ground.

You smiled proudly at him, knowing how much he'd be enjoying this before slamming the end of your bow into another walker.

"Jesus! Y/N! Come on!" Aaron's voice suddenly shouted and you knew that meant they had made it through the gate as you turned around to find them all standing behind the now open gate as two lone walkers stumbled right across your path to the gate.

"I got these guys." Paul stated in a cocky tone and you rolled your eyes, but nodded as you let Paul take the lead. He easily swung his sword into the first walker, the blade slicing through its face like butter, but when he swung at the next everything changed.

You watched in confusion as the walker easily dodged his attack, ducking out the way from his sword and sending Paul stumbling forward from the momentum behind his swing. Before you even had a second to process what just happened, the walker grabbed the back of Paul's shoulder and you quickly raised your bow, drawing the string back to take it down before Paul got bitten.

You didn't even have a chance to pull the string all the way back and all you could do was watch in horror as the walker pulled out a long knife and stabbed Paul through the back.

"NO!" You screamed, watching as the walker pulled the blade back out, dropping your brothers lifeless body onto the ground.

You thought you could hear someone else screaming in the background, maybe it was Aaron? You had no idea, all you could hear was the blood rushing in your ears as you aimed your sights at the walker or whatever the hell it was, before you released the string.

You didn't even wait for the walker to hit the ground as you dropped your bow and sprinted the few metres to your brother, dropping to the ground on your knees beside him in an instant as you pulled him into your lap.

His eyelids fluttered open as his glazed over eyes stared up at you. He opened his mouth to try and speak, but only succeeded in coughing up blood. No. No. No. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

Your trembling hands instantly covered the wound on his chest, but you knew the one on his back was bleeding heavily, you could feel his blood already seeping through your flannel and tank top.

"I-It's okay." Paul stuttered, his voice a mere whisper as tears pooled in your eyes and you shook your head, looking down at him. He couldn't die. He was your brother... he was the only family you ever had, he couldn't die. Not like this, he can't.

"N-no. It's not." You whimpered, taking in how pale his skin already was as he inhaled a ragged breath and smiled up at you before his eyes slowly began to close. "No, no, no. Paul, you stay with me! Don't you dare close your eyes! Paul!" You screamed, tears pouring down your face as you cupped his cheek with your free hand and shook his body, but he was already gone.

Suddenly, you felt a hand grab your shoulder as you glanced up to find Aaron dropping to his knees beside you, tears falling down his cheeks as he squeezed your shoulder and that was all it took before you broke down.

"I'm sorry." You whispered, holding your brothers lifeless body to your chest as you buried your head in the crook of Paul's neck and you cried.

You were vaguely aware of Daryl and Michonne talking as he held up what looked to be a walker mask before he rolled the dead walker over to reveal that it wasn't a walker, it was a person dressed as one. But, you didn't even care as you stared at your brother in your lap.

They say that it always happens in slow motion. That when a loved one gets killed it feels like every second lasts an eternity as you watch the whole scene unfold in slow motion right before your very eyes. But that's a fucking lie. It happens so fast and there is nothing you can do to stop it. One minute everything is fine and the next... well the next, it feels like your whole world just crashed and burned around you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paul Rovia deserved better. His death absolutely destroyed me and I was a mess writing this, I love him with all my heart and him and Aaron had so much potential!!
> 
> It broke my heart to write this chapter, but I hope you all still enjoyed it. The next chapter will be up on the weekend, but until then stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	10. Chapter 10

Your mind was still spinning, but everything just felt numb as you walked beside the horse that your brothers dead body was lying on top. If someone asked you to explain what happened in the last few hours, you'd have no idea.

You remembered Aaron pulling out a knife and gently stabbing it through Paul's head so he didn't turn. You remembered the whispers from the 'not walkers' and Dog barking like crazy. You vaguely remembered Michonne having to pull you away from Paul's body while Daryl and Aaron carried him out the cemetery. He died in a fucking cemetery of all places.

You weren't sure who had picked your bow up from the ground before you left, but it was now back over your shoulder and you had no idea when the sun had risen, but it was now daylight again.

You weren't really listening when the group started talking about more walkers nearby, nor where you really paying attention when you all stopped walking and Daryl came up to you.

"Y/N? Hey, ya with me?" Daryl asked, now appearing in front of you as he cupped your cheek with his left hand and lifted your head up gently. His piercing blue locking with yours and you nodded ever so slightly, unable to do anything.

"Michonne, the new girls 'n I are gonna lead the walkers to the bridge and take 'em out in case they ain't walkers. Ya stay here with the others, alright?" He asked and again you just nodded as Daryl pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, staring at you for a few seconds like he didn't want to leave you before Aaron walked over to the two of you.

"I'll watch her, just be careful." Aaron said and Daryl looked over at the other man with a grateful nod before he walked off, followed by the others.

Eugene was sitting on one of the horses while Aaron held the reins of the other two horses. None of you dared to speak, what could you possibly say to make this better? You couldn't make it better, your brother was dead. He was dead and you didn't even want to speak into the air that he should be breathing. It should have been you, not him.

You should have seen that something wasn't right or you should have taken care of the last two walkers instead of letting Paul do it or you should have just not let him come on the trip all together. It shouldn't have been him, he was one of the best, he was one of the nicest, most caring guys and he was a leader, it should have been you.

You weren't sure how long the others were gone for, but when they finally returned they weren't alone. Daryl and Michonne were holding what looked to be a teenage girl as they walked towards you, Magna and Yumiko close behind them, but you were focused on the kid. How did they find a kid? Weren't they taking out the walkers... she was one of them, one of the skins.

"Is she one of them?" You questioned, sudden anger taking over your body as you took a few steps towards them, not even caring how cracked and broken your voice sounded as you reached for the machete strapped to your waist.

"Yeah, we're taking her back to Hilltop to find out what she knows." Michonne answered, but you didn't bother looking at the other woman, your eyes glued to the girl. She was one of them, her people killed your brother.

"No." You said shaking your head as you pulled your machete out with shaky hands. She doesn't get to live, not after what they did.

"Y/N, don't." Daryl spoke up, leaving Michonne with the girl as he took a few steps towards you, holding his hands out to show that he means no harm as he stared at the machete in your hands.

"They killed my brother! Her people killed him! Why is she still alive? She doesn't get to live after what they did to him." You shouted, your voice breaking at the end as you stared at Daryl and you could feel tears rising in your eyes again.

"I know. Y/N, I know, but if ya kill her then we can't find out 'bout her group. We need her alive, there could be more of 'em." Daryl replied in a gentle tone as he took another step towards you, grabbing your wrist as he lowered your machete and you sighed, holstering the weapon. Daryl was right, if there was more of them out there then you needed to know and then you can kill all of them.

"Okay, but she's dead the second she becomes useless." You stated and Daryl just nodded, knowing that he couldn't stop you even if he wanted to.

-

You ended up blindfolding the girl so she didn't know the way to Hilltop and stuck her on top of the horses as you made your way back to the community. You hadn't said anything since, even when you reached Daryl's motorcycle and he asked if you wanted to sit on the back, you just shook your head and walked beside Paul's horse while Aaron held the reins.

You were glad that you didn't have any tears left to cry because the minute the walls to Hilltop came into view you were on the verge of breaking down.

The gates opened as the group of you walked through, you could see Rosita and Siddiq standing by one of the trailers as Tara and Enid came out of Barrington House all of them with happy relieved expressions. But, you could pinpoint the exact moment they noticed Paul's lifeless body dangling over the back of the horse beside you.

The next few minutes went by in a blur, Tara and Enid rushed towards you guys, tears threating to spill from their eyes as they stared at their leader and friend in disbelief. Tara was frantically asking what happened as Aaron hugged Enid and you were glad that the new girls had answered Tara's questions because you knew there'd be no way you could.

"Y/N, we gotta take him." Daryl suddenly said from beside you and you didn't even realise you were holding your brother's hand until you squeezed it tighter, not wanting to leave Paul's side.

"We'll be gentle, I promise." Yumiko said, appearing beside you with Magna, both of them looking at you with sympathetic expressions and you nodded ever so slightly as you released Paul's hand and took a step back.

You watched as they pulled his body off the horse carefully and followed them over to the cemetery as Tammy Rose laid a blanket on the ground in the middle of the cemetery before they gently laid his body down on top of it.

You dropped to your knees beside him as you took in just how pale his skin was already turning and you closed your eyes for a few seconds forcing the tears away.

Daryl suddenly grabbed your shoulder from behind as he crouched down beside you. "I gotta help 'em interrogate the girl, are ya gonna be alright by yourself?" He asked softly, although by the tone of his voice he already knew the answer to that and you just nodded, not taking your eyes away from Paul.

"She's not alone." Enid's voice said quietly from somewhere to your left and you felt Daryl shift slightly to look at the other woman before he pressed a gentle kiss the top of your head, standing up and walking off back to where Michonne and Tara were waiting with the teenager.

Enid didn't say anything for a few minutes as she sat down beside you, both of you staring at Paul's body for the younger girl spoke, her voice so soft that you nearly missed it. "Aaron said they were dressed as walkers, that her people walk with the dead."

"Didn't know what they were until... he didn't stand a chance." You whispered shaking your head as you brushed a few loose strands of hair out of your brothers pale face. Enid didn't say anything after that, you knew she and Paul were close, hell everyone was close with Paul and everyone loved him. Why'd it have to be him?

"Hey, girls. Earl is getting a coffin ready, but Kal is gonna start digging his grave, is that okay?" Tammy Rose's voice suddenly asked causing you to glance over your shoulder to find the older woman slowly walking towards you followed by Kal with a shovel.

Enid didn't say anything as she looked over at you, waiting for you to respond and you just nodded, taking one last look at your brother before you stood up and began walking away as Enid began to follow, but you shook your head.

"I just need some time alone." You said softly, looking over at the girl who stared at you for a few seconds, clearly contemplating what to do before she nodded.

"I'll go check on Eugene's knee, come find me if you need me, alright?" Enid replied giving you a sad smile and you nodded as the young girl pulled you into a hug before she walked off.

You watched as Enid walked off, disappearing through the large doors of Barrington House before you made your way towards Paul's trailer, closing the door behind you as you took a deep breath.

You needed to be alone for a few minutes, you hated the looks people were giving you and you just needed to get away from prying eyes and Paul's trailer was the only place inside the community that you knew you could be alone in.

You stood with your back against the closed door for a few minutes as your eyes wandered over the objects in his trailer. It felt wrong being in here without him, it felt wrong being alive without him period, but just standing in his trailer, the same trailer he has lived in for practically the past 10 years.

Your eyes scanned the room, spotting his knife sharpener still sitting on the kitchen table, a few unwashed dishes in the sink, the walkie talkie that was linked with your own sitting on the bench, but then your eyes landed on a small photo frame on his bedside table. You had never seen that there before, where did he get it from?

Slowly you walked across his trailer towards his bed and picked up the wooden frame as you turned it around and you couldn't help the small smile forming on your lips as you took in the photo.

It was a selfie of him and Aaron from somewhere out in the woods, no doubt from one of their weekly meets that you always heard so much about. The quality of the photo wasn't perfect and you knew he must have taken it with that small disposable camera that you had seen floating around Hilltop a few times, but the two of them looked so happy together. Aaron with his good arm slung over Pauls shoulders as they smiled happily at the camera, both of them glistening with sweat and you knew it would have been after one of their sparring matches.

You stared at the photo for a little while before placing it back down on the bedside table as you began walking around his trailer spotting little things like his leather coat resting over the back of a chair causing you to smile as you thought back to that day when Daryl and Rick had bought an unconscious Paul into your community and he was wearing the coat.

You continued walking around the trailer, but stopped when you saw his old lobster bib hanging up on the wall with a nail and you couldn't help the chuckle that left your lips as you thought of the day that he got it.

_It would have been a year before the world turned to shit and you guys were at some bar down town for your birthday. The bar was nice, but the bartender lady was a complete bitch to say the least._

_"Ignore her, if she wants to be rude for no reason then that's her problem. Let's just enjoy the night and these free drinks." Paul said, taking a sip of his whiskey as he looked over at you and you smiled shaking your head. Of course_ _,_ _your brother had found a hundred dollar note on the side of the road when he was walking home from work and you knew you were never going to hear the end of it._

_"Yeah, you're right. Here's to another great year and hope you find more money on the ground." You replied, holding your glass up causing Paul to chuckle as he tapped his glass against yours and nodded in agreement as you finished the last of your drinks. "Excuse me, can we get another round?" You asked, looking over at the bartender as she turned towards you and if looks could kill you would have been dead. Seriously what did you do to piss the chick off?_

_"I guess." She responded as she slowly began to make the new drinks, like it was the most boring thing in the world before she slammed one of the drinks down in front of you, a bit of the liquid splashing out of the glass as she placed the other glass in front Paul gently. Oh great she likes him, but not me._

_"What's a guy like you doing with someone like her? I finish in 10 minutes, we could get out of here." The bartender suddenly asked, looking over at Paul from across the bar as Paul opened his mouth to speak, but clearly didn't know how to respond._

_"He's not interested, lady." You stated, taking a sip of your drink as her eyes snapped over to you._

_"What are you, his mother? He can speak for himself."_

_"I'm his sister and as such I know my brother likes people with nice personalities and cocks. You don't qualify in neither category." You responded, glaring at the woman as she stared at you in disbelief and you weren't sure if it was because she didn't expect you to snap back at her or if it was finding out that Paul was gay, either way you didn't care._

_"Okay, we should probably get going. Thanks for the drinks." Paul quickly said as he dropped his money on the bar for the lady as he grabbed your arm and lead you out the bar._

_"_ _Are you seriously trying to start a bar fight with the bartender?" He asked once you guys were outside and you grinned holding up the lobster bib that you stole on your way out._

_"I saw you looking at it, sorry I couldn't buy you the lobster to go with it. Happy birthday." You said with a sheepish grin causing Paul to laugh as he took the bib from your hands and quickly stashed it in his pocket so you didn't get caught._

_"You're an idiot, but thank you." He replied, wrapping his arm around your shoulders as the two of you began walking along the footpath down the main street. "How about we get ice cream and head home?" He asked, glancing over at you with a smile and you nodded although you doubted you even needed to answer that question._

You chuckled softly at the memory, running your hand over the rough fabric of the bib as tears began to build in your eyes, your fingers starting to tremble against the fabric as you took a step back.

"It should've been me. It should have been me." You mumbled, unable to stop the tears falling from your eyes as you shook your head. "It was meant to be you and me against the world!" You yelled, tears now pouring down your cheeks as you ripped the bib from the wall, throwing it to the ground.

"God damnit, Paul!" You cried, tears blurring your vision as you grabbed the bookcase beside you and pulled it to the ground. Everything you had been trying to hold in now bubbling to the surface as you grabbed one of the kitchen chairs and threw it across the room.

Within minutes the trailer was an absolute mess, objects were smashed against the walls, chairs broken and scattered around the room, the kitchen table and couch flipped upside down. You looked around the destroyed trailer that your brother once called home as your chest began to tighten, your breaths becomes shallow, struggling to get oxygen in your lungs as you stumbled backwards until your back hit the wall. Choking sobs left your body as you covered your face your hands, unable to stop yourself from crying as your body shook.

Time had seemed to fast forward. You couldn't even remembered sitting down, but you were sitting in the far corner of the trailer as you hugged your knees to your chest. All you saw were your own bloody fists as glass shimmered from the ground beside you were a mirror was once hanging from the wall. You didn't even hear or recognise Daryl's voice until he appeared in front of you.

You could see his lips moving like he was trying to talk to you, but you couldn't hear anything above the blood rushing in your ears as you cried. Daryl quickly dropped down in front of you, pulling you into his chest as he wrapped his arms around your trembling body.

"I've got ya. Breathe, okay? Just breathe, I got ya." He whispered, but you could barely hear him as hysterical sobs left your body.

"H-he's gone. My brother's gone... he isn't coming back." You whimpered, burring your head in the crook of Daryl's neck as he cradled the back of your head with his hands.

"M'sorry, Y/N, I'm so sorry." He replied, holding you tightly, his voice sounding as broken as you felt.

His fingers gently ran through your hair as he let you cry into him. He didn't say anything else or make you talk about it. Paul was gone. How could that ever be okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I made myself cry writing this chapter and no I am not sorry for all the feels and angst. If you haven't noticed all my fics have angst in them, it wouldn't be one of my fics if it didn't lol. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, until next time stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	11. Chapter 11

You awoke with a gasp as you sat up in a pile of blankets. Everything was dark as you tried to look around when suddenly a hand grabbed your shoulder causing you to flinch.

"S'okay, it's just me. We're at Hilltop, didn't want ya to sleep in the trailer. We're in the room above the barn." Daryl quickly whispered, his southern accent thick with sleep as he spoke and you nodded, slowly processing what had happened.

You remembered being in Paul's trailer, you remembered the mess, you remembered crying into Daryl's arms, but after that you were just blank and you were starting to think Daryl must have carried you up here or something because you definitely don't remember coming in here.

"Thank you." You replied, your voice barely a whisper as you laid back down beside Daryl, his arm immediately wrapping around your body protectively.

"Try 'n get some sleep, alright?" He whispered and you nodded against his body, but you knew there was no way you'd be able to fall asleep again.

The night went by slowly as you tried to focus on Daryl's soft snores, but your mind kept wandering back to your brother. It was like the past events were just playing on loop in your head. You had to force yourself to think of something else, anything else because otherwise you'd end up like how you were in his trailer and you can't do that again.

Eventually the sky began to turn light as the sun started to rise and the people of Hilltop slowly began to wake up as soft chatter echoed around the community. Daryl stirred from beside you a few minutes later as he sat up and looked down at you. You knew you probably looked like shit, but that was the furthest thing from your mind at the moment. You could hear Michonne and Aaron quietly talking near the barn, but you tried not to listen.

Daryl gently cupped the side of your face as he brushed his thumb over your cheek before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

"Ya were holdin' this photo when I found ya yesterday." Daryl said, breaking the silence as he pulled out a small photograph from the pocket of his vest and you knew exactly what it was before he handed it to you. The selfie of Paul and Aaron.

"Thanks." You replied, with a sad smile as you stared at the photo and Daryl nodded as he stood up, Dog following his lead from beside him and if you were being honest you completely forgot about Dog during these past 24 hours, but you were relieved that the animal was still here.

"Go, I'll be down in a minute." You said, nodding towards the stairs, but Daryl didn't move as he stared at you for a couple seconds wanting to make sure you were alright before he left, closely followed by Dog.

"Tell me you guys didn't sleep up there." Michonne's voice suddenly called out as you sat yourself up and stared at the photo in your hands when suddenly you realised your knuckles were bandaged and you frowned in confusion before your mind clicked. You punched the mirror, Daryl must have cleaned up the wounds.

"Ya mean the penthouse suite? Dog picked it." Daryl's gruff voice replied as you slowly stood yourself up, grabbing your bow and weapons belt which was lying on the ground beside you. You threw them on before making your way to the stairs, but you quickly stopped when you heard your name.

"How's Y/N doing?" Michonne asked.

"Jesus was her twin brother... I've never seen her like this. I dunno know how to help her." Daryl replied, his voice softer and you sighed rubbing your face with your hands. You didn't want Daryl to worry about you, there were much bigger things to worry about.

"Bringing Jesus back, it's gonna help her move on, it's gonna help all of them move on. But after that, it's about doing whatever it takes to not bury more." Michonne replied and you shook your head silently. Move on? There is no moving on, how could you possibly move on from this? Paul was dead. Your brother was dead. The only family you ever had was now gone.

"Alden and Luke should've been back by now. Could be nothing. Could be something. You know what you're gonna do with that girl?" She continued talking.

"Why's it even up to me?"

"Because you're the best damn judge of character I know. Without Jesus or Maggie, these people need you. Tara's smart, but he shouldn't do it alone." Michonne replied and she was right. Tara was the right one to take Paul's place, she had been practically running the community with him anyway, but she shouldn't have to do it all alone.

You waited a few minutes, making sure Michonne had gone before you walked down the steps. You loved Michonne like family, but you knew you'd snap at her if she bought up your brother.

You found Daryl leaning against one of the wooden posts to the barn, Dog sitting by his feet as you reached his side. Neither of you spoke as you leant against him, his arm wrapping around your shoulder as he held you tightly.

People all over the community were helping set up Paul's funeral and within an hour Daryl, Aaron, Enid and Tara were walking with you towards the cemetery.

You could see the wooden coffin sitting beside the hole in the ground with members of the community all standing around the cemetery. You were so focused on the coffin that you didn't even noticed you had stopped walking until Daryl grabbed your hand, squeezing it gently.

"Ya can do this, m'right here with ya." He whispered and you nodded, taking a deep breath as you continued to walk towards the coffin.

You weren't really sure what you were expecting, but as you stood in front of his coffin you had to cover your mouth with your hands as you let out a small gasp, taking in just how pale your brother was as he laid in the coffin. His hair had been taken out of the bun and clearly brushed as it laid over his shoulders neatly. His armour had been clean as well, but it just looked so wrong seeing Paul like this.

"I found this amongst his clutter upstairs in Barrington House. He told me how you bought it for his birthday as a joke before all of this, but how he had kept it all this time." Tara's voice suddenly said from beside you as she held out Paul's grey beanie and handed it to you.

You stared at the beanie for a few seconds before you leant over the coffin and gently placed it in Paul's hands which were resting over his stomach. He had somehow managed to keep the beanie all this time, he wouldn't want to be parted with it and you knew that.

"C'mon, giver her some space." Daryl said quietly as he motioned for the others to follow him as he rested his hand Y/N's shoulder for a few seconds before he began walking off to the edge of the cemetery wanting to give the twins a last moment together.

"Rick's death nearly broke her and the only person who could get through to her was Jesus, so I don't know how she's going to handle this." Enid whispered unable to stop the tears falling down her cheeks as Tara wrapped her arm around the younger woman and Daryl sighed, rubbing the hair on his chain as he watched Y/N stand by the coffin.

He had never seen her like this before, he wasn't with her during the aftermath of the line up with the Saviours and he wasn't with her after Rick died. He didn't really know how Y/N dealt with loss, but he was going to make damn well sure that he was there for, like she had been there for him when Merle had died.

He stood back and watched as one by one the people closest to Jesus began hammering nails into the top of his coffin. Aaron and Michonne now standing beside him as Y/N began making her way back to them, her eyes red and filled with unshed tears and he instantly held his hand out towards her and she took it, squeezing it tightly as she stood beside him.

A few people talked, sharing stories and kind words about Paul. Kal talking about a few stories from when Paul first arrived at Hilltop, Tara sharing funny memories of supply runs she and Paul had gone on throughout the past six years. It was nice listening to everyone share stories, some you had heard before from Paul over the years, but a few of them were new and you found yourself smiling slightly as you listened.

But, as they began to lower the coffin your smile quickly disappeared and you had to look away, unable to watch as you turned around to find Aaron already watching you, his eyes laced with tears as he placed his hand on your shoulder for comfort as Daryl squeezed your hand.

Once the funeral was over everyone slowly began making their way out the cemetery, sending you sad smiles or pats on the shoulders as they walked past before you and Daryl said goodbye to Aaron, Michonne, Eugene, Rosita and Siddiq as they left for Alexandria.

You stood by the open gate, watching their horses disappear in the distance with Dog by your side while Daryl went to interrogate the girl. You wanted to help him, to try get information out of her, but Daryl wouldn't let you which was probably for the best because you might end up killing her before you got any information out of her.

"Hey, Y/N?" Yumiko's voice suddenly called as the front gates closed in front of you and you turned around to the find her and Magna walking towards you. You didn't really know much about their group, but they had your back the other day, so you liked them.

"I saw Jesus drop this when everything went down, you should probably have it." Magna said, pulling out your brothers sword and sheath from behind her back as she held it out towards you and you stared at the silver weapon in shock. You couldn't even remember Magna grabbing it, well you couldn't really remember much from that night, but you were glad she did.

"Thanks." Was the only word you could manage to say as you took your brothers sword, both the women patting you on the shoulder with sympathetic smiles before they walked off.

You stared at the sword for a few minutes, remembering how excited Paul had been when he told you over your walkies that him and Tara went on a supply run and found it in an old antiques store. He was so eager for you and Daryl to visit Hilltop again to show you the sword.

You brushed your fingers over the shinny blade, Magna and Yumiko must have cleaned it because there wasn't any walker guts or anything smeared over it.

You connected the sheath to the left side of your belt since your machete was on your right as you stared at the long sword for a few more seconds before you slid it into the sheath. You didn't think you'd ever use the weapon, it just felt wrong. It was Paul's weapon, he should be using it, he should be holding it, but he wasn't.

Slowly you made you way around the side of Barrington house were the cemetery was and the double doors that lead down to the cell.

You could hear Daryl yelling at the girl inside as you sat down beside the small vent gaps that lead into the building where Henry's cell was. Your back was leaning against the brick wall as you listened to Daryl interrogate the girl, but he seemed to be finished and told Henry to shut up who must have done something to annoy him before the double doors opened and he walked out.

"Daryl." You called out and you hated how broken your voice sounded. You quickly stood up from against the wall as Daryl turned around in surprise to find you there before he pulled you into a hug. His hand resting on the back of your head as he held you against his chest.

Neither of you said anything for a while as Daryl held you before you pulled away and motioned towards the cell. Daryl told you what the girl had to say, how it was just her mother out there and she got separated from the group or something, but it was all bullshit and you both knew it.

For the rest of the day between you, Daryl, Enid and Tara you all took turns sitting by the small air vents to see what the girl would say to Henry and after the first few minutes you had already learnt her name was Lydia.

You and Daryl ended up taking the night shift and spent most the night sitting against the building with a blanket Enid had given the two of you. You told Daryl that you would take the first watch and he reluctantly agreed and eventually managed to fall asleep beside you, but when he woke up a few hours later and told you to get some sleep, you couldn't. You barely got any sleep last night and after burying your brother you just couldn't sleep, not until you got justice for Paul.

-

It was early morning before Henry and Lydia started talking again while you Daryl sat against the brick wall as you listened to them talk.

"Why isn't he here with your mom?" Lydia asked after Henry began telling her about his second father, Ezekiel.

"They're the leaders of another community. Where I'm from." Henry answered and you were up on your feet before Daryl even had a chance to process what Henry had just blurted out to the girl. He was going to tell her about Kingdom, why would Henry tell her about his community? Her people killed your brother, her people tried to kill all of you, you couldn't trust her.

"Is it far? What's it called?" Lydia asked, keeping her tone gentle and curious, but you knew she was just trying to get as much information out of the naïve kid as she could.

"Stay here." Daryl muttered, standing up too and you nodded watching as he began to walk over to the doors that lead down into the cell.

"It's called the Kingdom. It's probably like a day's ride from here." Henry answered, but that was all he had time to say before Daryl was in there and must have pulled him out his cell because suddenly the two of them were walking back out the door as Daryl pulled Henry away from the building and you followed.

"What the hell's wrong with ya? Huh? Tellin' her 'bout the Kingdom? What if there's more of her people out there? Ya got family at the Kingdom." Daryl growled as Henry glanced over towards you before focusing back on Daryl. You hadn't seen or spoken to the boy since you first arrived at Hilltop with him, but by the sad glance he gave you, it was clear he knew that her people had killed your brother.

"I'm sorry. Okay? I didn't think that it would- Wait. You were listening?" Henry suddenly questioned, his brain only just clicking as he glanced back towards you in shock and you nodded.

"Yeah, of course we were. Daryl and I have been switching off to see what she'd say to you." You responded, speaking up for the first time as you walked over to the two of them.

"You were using me?"

"Yeah, 'n it was workin' too." Daryl muttered, staring at the boy who was shaking his head in disbelief.

"She's a good person who got messed up there and she's right about you, you know that? You're an asshole. You want answers, get them yourself." Henry responded, glaring at Daryl for a few seconds before he began to walk off.

"Henry." You called out, jogging over to the young boy who you called nephew and to your relief he stopped and turned around towards you. The anger in his face suddenly softening as he took in your expression.

"Her group killed my brother... they murdered him right in front of me and I..." You trailed off, hating how weak your voice sounded, but before you could find the right words, Henry was walking back towards you and wrapped you up into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry about Jesus." The boy whispered and you couldn't help the stray tear that fell down your cheek as you hugged him back.

"W-we have to find out if there are any more of her people out there. She's just a kid, I get that now, I didn't before and she might be innocent in all this, but her people aren't, don't forget that." You said, pulling away from him as you wiped the tear from your cheek and Henry nodded in understanding.

-

A few hours later Tara and the others came back after looking for Alden and Luke, but they didn't have the two men with them and explained that they found their horses stabbed to death and it was clear that the two of them had been taken.

You, Daryl and Tara talked for a while, trying to figure out what to do before Daryl said he was going to try talk to Lydia again and said something about trying a different approach, whatever that meant, so you ended up taking watch duty.

You didn't really know what else to do since Daryl wouldn't let you help him. He was still worried that you might lash out and kill the girl, but after listening to her and Henry talk throughout the night you were slowly getting the hint that she might be innocent in all this. But, you still needed to know more about her group because they had obviously taken Alden and Luke and you weren't going to let them kill anymore people you know and care about.

You weren't sure how long you were standing on guard duty for. Enid had come up and stood with you for a while and it was clear that she was worried about Alden.

You didn't bother trying to lie to the young woman about Alden and Luke being okay, she wasn't a child and you didn't want to lie to her. Enid was like a little sister to you, had been since you both lived in Alexandria and she could probably tell when you were lying anyway. So, you just promised her that you were going to do everything you could to get him back and she knew you would keep your promise before she called it a night and went back into Barrington House to her room while you stayed on watch duty.

You were on watch for another 10 or minutes before you saw Daryl storming out the prison cells and heading towards Barrington House before Henry stopped him and you knew whatever they were talking about was serious by Daryl's rigid posture. You couldn't hear what they were saying, but then Henry pointed towards the watch platform where you were standing and Daryl began heading your way.

"How'd it go?" You asked quietly, knowing that others around the community would be trying to sleep as you leant your forearms against the fence as Daryl climbed the ladder and joined you.

"Dunno, she definitely has a group 'n I think her mother leads 'em..." Daryl trailed off as he stared out at the stars and you knew something was wrong.

"What is it?" You asked, glancing over at him worriedly noticing he was biting his thumb anxiously.

"Her mother beats her. She thinks it's a good thing, that she deserves it... Henry still thinks she can be saved, but-" He began to say before you cut him off.

"You think she's too far gone?" You asked, but Daryl just shrugged his shoulders and you sighed. You knew this would be bringing up his childhood memories of his father, memories that he had spent years trying to forget, but the scars over his back were permanent reminders of those days.

"She's a victim in all this... her mother runs the group, Lydia is just a victim." You whispered shaking your head at yourself. You had wanted to kill the kid the second Daryl had bought her into the community, if you'd had it your way the girl would be dead, but this wasn't her fault, she was just a victim stuck in this life. "I'll talk to her in the morning, it might be easier for her to talk to a girl."

"Ya ain't gonna kill her?" Daryl asked, and you shook your head.

"She's just a kid who's being abused. None of this is her fault." You replied and Daryl nodded, wrapping his arm over your shoulders and holding you close as the two of you stared up at the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will never get over Jesus’ death. No matter how much times passes, I will never get over it. Paul Rovia deserved better, just like Shane Walsh did, just like Merle Dixon did, just like so many other characters did. But, don't worry we will get justice for Jesus in this fic, but until then it’s gonna be very angsty.
> 
> Anyway, I will hopefully post the chapter on Monday or Tuesday, but until then stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	12. Chapter 12

You barley got any sleep again, but that didn't matter because the second the sky slowly started getting lighter you were up. Daryl was still fast asleep with Dog lying next to him, but to your relief Dog just watched you as you quietly made your way out the hayloft above the barn before making your way towards the cell.

What you did not expect was to find Henry lying on the ground beside Lydia, the two of them holding hands between the bars until they heard you and quickly sat up and let go of each other.

Neither of them spoke as they stared at you and Lydia must have remember you from earlier as her eyes flashed down at the handgun and machete strapped to your belt. You adjusted the strap of your bow on your shoulder and sighed.

"I'm not here to kill you, kid. I just want to talk." You said, keeping your tone gentle as you walked towards the cell and took a seat on the old wooden chair while Henry watched you curiously from where he sat against the wall beside Lydia.

"I know about your mother and what she does to you. I've had my fair share of parents who abuse their kids.... My real parents died when I was a lot younger than you, my brother and I lived in an orphanage, do you know what an orphanage is?" You asked and the girl nodded as she listened to you speak.

"Sometimes good families would come in looking for a son or daughter to adopt, but it wasn't always good families. Some people just aren't meant to be parents and I found one of them. I would've been a bit younger than you and my foster father began hitting me. He'd make me believe that I deserved it, that I did something wrong and the only way to fix it was for him to physically hurt me. If I laughed I got hit, if I made too much noise I got hit, if I did anything that pissed him off I got hit. Hell, some days if I breathed I got hit. But at the time, he drilled it into me that I deserved it, that I should be grateful to have someone like him because there were people out there who'd do worse things to little girls, so I believed him." You began to explain before Henry spoke up.

"How'd you get out of it?" The boy asked and if you were being honest you forgot he was listening, but Lydia seemed to be listening curiously as well.

"One day it got really bad and he nearly killed me, threw a knife at me and everything. I ran away, found a payphone called my brother who was still at the orphanage and he told the people who ran the orphanage what happened and they came and got me. The man was sent to jail for attempted murder, but the funny thing was I still believed I deserved it, but my brother made me see the truth, he made me realise that it was wrong... my brother was good like that." You said sadly, looking away from the two kids as you stared at the ground.

"The world's changed, it's not how it used to be, it's different." Lydia tried to argue, but you shook your head.

"The world has changed, but beating and hurting people is not okay, especially not a kid like you. It was never okay in the old world and it definitely isn't okay in this world either. Parents should love their children, they should be hugging and supporting their kids, not beating them. Physical abuse is not love, it's not even close. Lydia, what your mother does to you, it's not love." You continued to say, but Lydia shook her head.

"It's how my mother shows love, it's how she's always shown love." She argued.

"Then your mother doesn't know what love is. You don't deserve what she does to you, but you'll be safe here, okay? Daryl and I won't let anyone hurt you, but we need to know if your mother is going to come looking for you." You said and Lydia nodded slowly as she tried to process what you just said.

"My mums not coming for me. None of them are. If someone dies or gets taken or whatever, they move on. Like they never existed, that's how it's always been. They don't come into contact with big groups unless they don't have another choice. That's why I was trying to find out everything I could about you, so when I escaped, I'd have something to give them. A reason for them to take me back." Lydia explained, surprising you slightly that she said so much before the door leading outside opened and a few seconds later Daryl walked in with a tray of food and froze for a second when he saw you and Henry sitting by Lydia.

"You're her daughter. Does that not matter?" Henry asked in disbelief and Lydia lowered her head as she stared at the ground and you had a feeling she was slowly understanding that what you had told her earlier was true.

"What about our missing people?" You asked, trying to change the swing of the conversation as Daryl placed the tray on the table behind you and leant against the table.

"If my mum found them, I can't think of a reason she'd keep them alive. Sorry." Lydia replied and you could hear the honestly in her voice as she spoke and you were glad that the kid was starting to trust you, but that meant Alden and Luke were probably dead. First your brother and now those two, you were going to kill her mother if it's the last thing you ever do.

"She got a camp somewhere?" Daryl asked, realising that you were too caught up in your own thoughts to think of the next thing to ask because of course that was the right question, if you knew where her group was then you might be able to go find them.

"Near the guard bridge. Maybe a mile easy. But we don't- they don't stay in one place for long." Lydia answered and that was all you needed to hear before you stood up.

"Thank you for being honest and I meant what I said earlier, I won't let anyone hurt you, okay?" You said and Lydia nodded as she stared at you before you turned back towards Daryl and Henry, "I'm gonna go find Tara, I'll be back soon." You informed and Daryl nodded before you walked out the room.

You spotted Tara and Yumiko standing on the watch platform by the gate and began making your way towards it before the gate began to open. You glanced out the gate spotting Connie and Kelly -you think their names were- and a few guards from Hilltop walking, but that wasn't what caught your attention. What caught your attention was the group of walkers in the distance marching towards the community. Shit, they weren't walkers. They were the Whisperers.

"Tara! They're here!" You yelled, not even bothering to look over at the woman on the watch platform to see if she had heard you or not before you sprinted out the front gate and ran towards the Hilltop guards.

"Get her inside now! I got her sister." You instructed, sprinted past the two guards who quickly grabbed Kelly before she could run after her sister and pulled her through the gate as you reached Connie’s side.

"They're here, we need to hide." You said, grabbing the women's arm as she stared you in confusion before she began to gesture to her ears and shook her head. Oh shit, she was deaf. Okay, come on Y/N, you knew a little bit of sign language, you did a course on it years ago.

You quickly pointed towards the not-walkers and then pointed towards the tall corn field because you did not have time to try think of the sign that what you wanted to say. To your relief Connie seemed to understand what you were talking about as the two of you ran into the field to hide.

You quickly ran to the edge of the field, Connie right beside you as you watched the group marched towards the community. There were only about 14 of them, but there was one person who wasn't wearing a mask and you knew that must be the leader, Lydia's mother. Her head was shaven bald and you didn't miss the sawn off shotgun strapped to her belt behind her back.

"I am Alpha. And I only want one thing from you; my daughter." The leader -Alpha- shouted and you realised she was looking towards the watch platform where you could see Tara, Yumiko, Daryl, Magna and Kelly all standing and watching. Shit, this was not going to end well.

"Our community is more than capable of defending itself!" Tara warned and you quickly tried to sign what they were saying so Connie knew what was going on. You were pretty sure you were getting some of it mixed up, but she seemed to be able to fill in the gaps and was glad you were doing it.

"I show you my face because we mean you no harm. I just want my daughter. I know you have her." Alpha responded, you kept your eyes on the bald woman as you signed it to Connie. You did not trust that Alpha woman, especially not after what Lydia had told you.

"Ya should turn around. Leave now 'n no one gets hurt." Daryl yelled and you watched in confusion as Alpha raised her hand towards the sky.

"Wrong answer." She stated and suddenly more of her group began to walk out from the woods and behind the crops towards the community. They all spread out in front of Hilltop, some staying back while others joined the first group, but there was no mistaking how many there was and you were willing to bet there was more hidden somewhere else.

"Did you kill our friends? We found their horses." Magna spoke up for the first time as you slung your bow off your shoulder and knocked an arrow on the string. There were a lot of them now and if they tried something you weren't going to hesitate to kill them, they killed your brother, they're lucky they're still breathing.

"No. Which one of you leads these people?" Alpha questioned and that was enough to set you over the edge. Her people killed the leader of Hilltop!

Connie must have sensed what you wanted to do because before you even began to pull the string of your bow back, her hand suddenly grabbed your arm and you turned towards her in confusion. She pointed towards the group and began to sign Alden and Luke's name and you sighed. Shit she was right, they might have Alden and Luke and if you killed her or any of her people then she would definitely kill them if she hadn't already. Shit.

"What the hell does it matter?" Daryl snapped, glaring at the woman.

"Then I'll just address all of you. Your people crossed into our land. There will be no conflict. Your people killed our people. There will be no conflict. I'm done talking. Bring me my daughter or there will be conflict." Alpha threatened and you shook your head. No way are you sending that little girl back to her, not after everything and you knew Daryl wouldn't either.

You watched as Daryl began to walk off from the watch platform, the others quickly going after him and you knew whatever Daryl was going to do would be a bad idea, but there was nothing you could do while hiding in the field with Connie.

Suddenly, the front gates to Hilltop opened and you watched in shock as Daryl began to walk towards the group who were on the other side of the small fence that protected the front gardens from Hilltop. What the hell was Daryl doing? He didn't even have his crossbow and that bitch had a fucking shotgun behind her.

Daryl stopped in front of the second wooden gate as he stood face to face with Alpha and began talking, but you couldn't hear what they were saying as you watched nervously. You quickly drew your bow, aiming your sights at the back of Alpha's head because like hell you were letting Daryl that close without backup.

Connie quickly grabbed your arm again, but you shook your head to try tell her that you weren't going to shoot unless she made the first move, when suddenly a baby crying filled the air. What the hell? Hilltop had a couple of babies, but they were inside the community.

You quickly glanced in the direction of the noise, not wanting to look away from Daryl but needing to know where the baby was. You spotted one of the Whisperers holding a baby to her chest with a body sling and you frowned in confusion. They bought a baby out here? These people were more messed up than you gave them credit for.

You were so focused on the baby and trying to keep your eyes on Daryl and Alpha that you didn't even realise three more masked people walked towards Hilltop, until one of them pulled the masks off the two others exposing Alden and Luke, both with their mouths gaged. And to make matters worse actual walkers began to make their way from the woods towards the community, either from all the talking or the baby still crying or both, you had no idea, but you didn't care.

You watched as Daryl walked back off into the community and you sighed with relief turning your attention back to the group of the Whisperers that began heading towards the walkers, no doubt to try lead them away like how they were leading that herd of walkers in the cemetery that night, but with the crying baby it wasn't working.

You could see Luke talking to Connie with his hands behind his back and you managed to pick up the word 'baby' amongst all of it and mentally cursed yourself for not telling her about that, but your thoughts were quickly taken away when the Whisperer holding the baby took the baby sling off and the crying baby on the ground. No, she wasn't going to leave that baby on the ground was she? She couldn't let her baby get eaten by walkers.

You watched for a few seconds as the Whisperer began walking away from the crying baby on the ground. Suddenly, a group of Hilltop people on the other watch platform began banging on the tin fence, trying to draw the walkers away from the baby but it wasn't working. Fuck. You couldn't let the baby get eaten, it wasn't the babies fault that it was born into this crazy group. God damnit.

You quickly pointed towards the baby on the ground and Connie followed to where you were pointing and quickly nodded in silent agreement as you both sprinted out from the field. You quickly drew your bow, firing an arrow at the walker closest to the baby and Connie did the same with her slingshot and took down the other walker.

You threw your bow over your shoulder and continued running towards the baby on the ground, not even caring about Alpha or her people as Connie ran beside you and kicked a walker away from you as you grabbed the baby from the ground.

Connie took down another walker with her sling shot before the two of you quickly ran back into the field. You tried to calm the baby down as you threw the makeshift baby sling over your head as you held the crying baby to your chest with one hand and pulled your machete out with the other.

The two of you quickly ran through the field side by side, not wanting to lose each other as Connie took down most the walkers you came across, not wanting the baby to get hurt.

Suddenly, a walker grabbed Connie's shoulder from behind, but you quickly took it down as she gave you a grateful nod before another walker appeared right in front of you. Neither of you had a chance to do anything before Daryl appeared out of nowhere and stabbed the walker and you sighed with relief.

"Ya good?" He quickly asked, glancing down at the baby in your arm and looking over at Connie before focusing back on you and you quickly nodded. "C'mon, let's go." He said and you holstered your machete and grabbed Connie's free hand as you both began following Daryl back to the community.

-

Daryl and Tara explained what was happening and how they were going to trade Lydia for Alden and Luke. You hated the idea, you didn't want to send that girl back to her abusive mother, but Alden and Luke were part of your group and you had to get them back. It was the only option, you knew that, but that still didn't make it any easier.

"Lydia." You called out, stopping her and Daryl as they began walking towards the front gate to make the trade. You were still holding the baby with the baby sling to your chest as you walked over to them. "You're a good kid and you deserve better than this, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Lydia replied softly, but you shook your head as you pulled out a small pink pocket knife from your pocket.

"My brother gave this to me when I was about your age, said young women needed to be able to protect themselves if they ever had to. I want you to take it." You said as you handed it to her. She stared at the pocket knife in her hand for a few seconds before she looked back over at you with a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry about your brother." She whispered and you nodded watching as she tucked the knife into her pocket before Daryl grabbed her arm gently and began leading her towards the front gate.

You, Enid, Yumiko, Magna, Connie, Kelly and Henry followed them, but stood by the open gate as you watched the two of them walk towards Alpha.

You couldn't hear what they were saying, but sudden relief washed over you once Alpha released Alden and Luke and they quickly walked towards the group of you by the gate. Enid immediately hugged her boyfriend as Yumiko and Magna hugged Luke, but you were more focused on Alpha as Lydia walked towards her and you watched in shock as Alpha slapped Lydia across the face. Your hand immediately reached for your handgun on your hip, but Tara quickly grabbed your arm to stop you and you watched as the group of them began to walk away.

Daryl walked back towards you with an unreadable expression, but you knew him. You knew he absolutely hated what he had to do. He noticed Tara was holding your arm away from your gun still and he nodded towards Tara before he grabbed your hand.

"Ain't nothin' we can do 'bout it." He whispered and you nodded ever so slightly before looking down at the baby boy in the sling around your neck.

Once you were back inside the community Tammy Rose and Enid helped you check on the baby to make sure he was okay and healthy, so you went to the infirmary and Daryl followed as they checked on the baby and to your relief he seemed to be perfectly fine.

You weren't really sure what to do with the baby, it wasn't like you had a orphanage for him, but after growing up in an orphanage you wouldn't want to put him through that. Tammy Rose had asked if you were okay with the baby, but before you could respond Daryl had said yes and that was that. You knew Daryl wanted a kid, you had talked about it many times over the years, but you couldn't have them and he knew that and he never got angry or anything at you for it, but now you did have a kid, well not a kid, he was a baby, you had a baby. How was that even possible? You were probably the least qualified person in the community for the job, but everyone had encouraged the idea and you had to admit, you were already in love with the little boy.

Daryl helped you feed him from a bottle with formula since you had both helped raise Judith, you knew he gist of looking after a baby. One of the other women in Hilltop who had a baby had given you a few clothes and baby gear that she didn't need anymore and you were grateful for that and now had the baby boy in a blue one piece jumpsuit.

That night you and Daryl were back upstairs above the barn and Daryl had set up a spare baby cot beside the blankets on the ground where you two sleep. Dog was lying on the ground beside the cot almost protectively while you tried rocking the baby boy in your arms to get him sleep with no luck.

"We had to give Lydia back, right? We had to do it, she isn't ours 'n they would 've killed Alden 'n Luke, but did we do the right thing?" Daryl asked softly, breaking the silence as you rocked the baby boy in your arms and looked over at Daryl who lowered his head and rubbed his face with hands, really struggling with giving Lydia back to Alpha.

"It doesn't feel like it, but we had to put our people first, even if it hurts. It's what Rick and Paul would have done if they were here." You answered giving Daryl a sad smile and he nodded as he leant over and wrapped his arm over your shoulder and kissed the side of your head.

Daryl gently took the baby from your lap and began bouncing him on his knee and you couldn't stop the small smile spreading across your face as you watched Daryl with the baby boy. He was good with kids, he was good with Judith when she was a baby and you knew he secretly wanted a baby of his own, but you could never give him that, no matter how much you wanted to... But, now it looks like were finally about to do it.

"Umm Daryl? Y/N? I found this in Henrys room." A young girl's voice said and you quickly looked over at the stairs to find one of the Hilltop teenagers -Addy, you thought her name was- standing by the top of the stairs holding a small piece of paper and you could already guess what was written there as you grabbed it.

"Shit." Daryl muttered under his breath as he took the paper from your hands and shoved it in his pocket and handed the baby back to you. "We gotta tell Tara, I'll track him."

"I'm coming with you." You responded, standing up as you cradled the baby to your chest who had finally fallen asleep.

"Nah, you've been through enough. Stay here 'n rest." Daryl instructed, but you shook your head. Like hell you were stay back while Henry was out there and you sure as hell weren't going to let Daryl go alone.

"We both promised Carol that we'd keep an eye on Henry. I need to do something, I can't just keep sitting around in this community, in Paul's community." You said and Daryl sighed, but nodded as the two of you walked down the stairs.

You spotted Connie sitting at one of the picnic benches outside Barrington house and pointed towards her and Daryl nodded, seeming to understand what you were saying as he walked off to Barrington house to tell Tara while you walked over to Connie.

She gave you a friendly wave once she spotted you and you smiled softly at the other woman before you showed her the letter Henry wrote and her eyes went wide in shock.

"Daryl and I are going after him." You said while trying to sign it to her, but it was a little hard with the baby in your arms, but luckily she seemed to be able to lip read. "Can you look after the baby until we come back?" You asked and Connie smiled with a nod.

'Of course.' She signed as she held her hands out and you carefully handed her the baby boy as she cradled him to her chest and began to rock his sleeping body slowly.

"Thank you." You signed and said before you spotted Daryl walking out Barrington House with Dog beside him and you jogged over to him as the two of you headed out to find Henry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't keep Y/N wanting to kill Lydia, I love Lydia although I will admit I was really suspicious of her at the start, but I love her and yes Connie doesn't go with Daryl and Dog, from this point on there’ll be a lot of cannon divergence in this fic, I hope you guys like it. 
> 
> Anyway, the next chapter will be up on the weekend, but until then stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	13. Chapter 13

The two of you trekked through the woods, following Henry's track with Dog right beside you. You both had your bows in your hands and were on high alert not, trusting any walkers you came across in case it was one of the whisperers.

By the time Henry's walking tracks merged with others it was daylight as Daryl knelt down and touched the muddy footprints in the ground.

"Couldn't have been too long ago." He informed and you nodded before Dog suddenly barked and you looked over to find him now standing in the small dry creek bed nudging a long black stick and your heart sunk. That was Henry's. He wouldn't leave his stick unless something happened.

Daryl jumped down into the dry creek bed and picked up the stick before the sound of walkers filled the air and you quickly looked up to find two of them stumbling towards you from further down the creek bed, but you could instantly tell that they weren’t the whisperers since one of them was literally missing an arm.

You drew your bow back, aiming your sights at the one on the left as you released the string just as Daryl pulled the trigger on his crossbow and both the walkers dropped to the ground dead.

"Dog." Daryl called out as Dog ran over to the walkers and pulled the bolt and arrow out their heads as he walked back to Daryl who took your arrow from his mouth first, but when he tried to grab his bolt, Dog began to pull back like it was a game causing the arrow to snap.

You couldn't stop the small chuckle that left your mouth as you watched Daryl huff and take the broken bolt as he glanced over at you and you raised your eyebrows at him causing him to shake his head.

"Bad Dog." He muttered, climbing back out the creek bed as he handed you the arrow before the two of you continued to follow the tracks.

You ended up back at the field you guys were walking through a few days ago with Paul and Aaron when you were trying to find Eugene. You spotted a small herd of walkers milling around by the tree line of the woods as the two of you crouched down behind a bunch of bushes and just watched, trying to figure out if they were walkers or whisperers.

You sat there for a few minutes before you spotted two walkers walk out from the woods, dragging a blanket behind them that had what looked to be two bodies lying on top. Although, from the distance it was hard to tell, but they definitely weren't walkers dragging the blanket that was for sure.

"There's only two of 'em in that herd. We wait for nightfall, take 'em out and lour the herd into their camp, it has to be where the other two came from." Daryl instructed and you nodded liking his plan, so the two of you just sat back and waited while you kept an eye on the two whisperers amongst the herd.

-

To you surprise the plan actually worked and you managed to find Henry amongst all the chaos of the walkers, but he refused to leave Lydia and you didn't want to leave her either. You had told Daryl that Rick and Paul would have given Lydia back, but you knew your brother wouldn't have wanted to give Lydia back to her abusive mother. Paul was the one who got you away from an abusive home when you were teenagers, if it wasn't for him you weren't sure you'd be here today. He always helped and looked out for you and always looked after the people in his community, he wouldn't have liked giving Lydia back.

Daryl didn't argue when Henry refused to leave Lydia and you knew deep down that he was glad you were able to take Lydia away from her abusive mother, although you weren't stupid. You knew they'd come after you because of it, but it was wroth it. Let them come. They killed your brother and you weren't going to let them live for that.

-

The group of you ran for a while, until you hit a road and began to follow it and slow down to a walking pace. By the time you reached a small town the sun had risen again as the four of you walked down the abandon streets. Daryl kept sending you worried glances after all the running you had done had caused your knee was starting to ache and you were limping a little, but it wasn't nothing serious. You were used to it by now. Fucking Saviour who had to shoot your knee all those years ago, he couldn't have just shot you in the arm or something?

"Hey, we should go up. Somewhere where the walkers can't follow." You suggested, pointing towards a tall square building that you hoped wasn't already full of walkers.

"Take the high ground? Yeah, they use walkers to protect themselves 'n travel in a herd, but there's only like five or six of 'em in the middle, right?" Daryl asked glancing over at Lydia who nodded.

"Yeah, but if we go up there, we're trapped. Alpha's not gonna send an army because she doesn't have to. She'll sent Beta." The young girl answered and you frowned slightly. Who the hell was Beta? Actually stupid question, he'd be Alphas second in command, that was simple logic.

"'M sick of runnin'. This Beta, he their best?" Daryl asked, looking back to Lydia who nodded. "Good, we'll kill him first, c'mon." Daryl said, nodding towards the building and you couldn't stop the grin forming on your face. You'll start with Beta, but Alpha was next. She had to pay for what her people did.

An hour later the group of you were on one of the higher levels of the building. You had blocked the stairwell slightly just enough so walkers couldn't get through, but people easily could and that's what you wanted.

You locked Henry and Lydia a few rooms over, making sure their door and hallways were blocked the most, so Beta and his people would go to the room where you and Daryl were waiting.

"This turns south ya run, alright?" Daryl said, looking over at you from the support beam he was hiding behind, his crossbow up and raised at the set of double doors which you knew was the only way into the room.

"I'm only running if you do, Dixon." You responded and you knew that wasn't the answer Daryl was hoping for, but before he could say anything the sound of heavy footsteps filled the air and you quickly drew your bow, resting the string against the side of your face as you kept your sighs on the door.

Not a second later the two doors open and you release the string as your arrow and Daryl's bolt slammed dead in the centre of another door that Beta was using as a shield. Shit.

You spared a glance over at Daryl who gave you a nod before the two of you split up and disappeared further into the room where you had hid a bunch of other weapons around for emergency.

You ducked and weaved through the loose furniture before you hid behind one of the open doors, slinging your bow over your shoulder as you pulled out your machete and held it up, ready.

A moment later as you suspected one of the whisperers followed you into the room and you slammed the machete down into their neck from behind, twisting the blade until the body went limp in your arms and you pulled it out as the man or woman dropped to the ground dead.

Suddenly, the sound of plaster breaking and a loud bang from across the room caught your attention, followed by Daryl's grunting and you quickly sheathed your machete and knocked another arrow onto your bow before you sprinted in the direction of the noise.

You spotted Beta holding Daryl down over a table and as you took a few more steps in their direction your eyes caught sight of the sharp blade of a drop saw poking out from the table as Beta held Daryl's neck only inches away from it.

"Where is she?" Beta questioned in a low deep voice and you didn't hesitate as you drew your bow back.

"You're not getting her." You shouted, releasing the string just as Beta moved to the left and the arrow speared through his shoulder instead of his head. Shit.

Beta growled, reaching for the arrow as he yanked it out his shoulder and you winced watching him do it because that would fucking hurt with the sharp broadhead you had on that arrow. But, it gave Daryl the time he needed as he slammed his elbow into Beta's chest and you watched as he pushed the larger man into a mirror as glass shattered, everywhere.

Before you could even take a step in Beta's direction, he was already up and slammed his fist into the side of Daryl's head before he grabbed your husband under his arms and pinned him up against the wall like he weighed nothing. How was that even possible? You had just shot him with an arrow.

"No!" You shouted, pulling your machete out as you jumped onto Beta's back and stabbed the blade into the wound on his shoulder. Beta quickly released Daryl before he reached behind him with his good arm and grabbed you by your hair and threw you off him.

You hit the ground hard, knocking the machete from your hand and your bow from your shoulder before something hard collided with your stomach and you quickly realised it was Beta's foot. You hurriedly got to your hands and knees before the next blow came, but you were too slow as Beta's hand wrapped around your neck.

His grip tightened like a vice as he lifted your body up off the ground like you were as like as a feather before your back crashed into a wall and now it was you who was pinned.

"Where's the girl?" He growled, squeezing your neck so tight that you thought he was going to crush your windpipe.

"Fuck you." You managed to whisper as you groaned in pain, trying and failing to breath as his grip tightened, your hands grabbing his as you tried to pry is steel locked fingers from your neck, but it was no use.

Suddenly, Daryl grabbed his shoulder pulling him away from you as your body slid down the wall and you hit the ground, unable to catch yourself as began to cough, gasping for breath as you sat there on your hands and knees trying to get air back into your lungs.

You heard Daryl grunt again and you looked up to find him lying on his back as Beta slammed his foot down and Daryl just managed to roll out the way in time before his boot slammed into the floor where Daryl's head was only moments before.

You quickly pulled out your handgun that you still had strapped to your belt as you pulled the hammer back and aimed it towards the bigger man and pulled the trigger.

Beta stumbled forward a few steps from the impact before he turned around and glared at you through his mask, but it was like he didn't even feel the bullet as he began to march towards you.

"Y/N!" Daryl yelled, from the background somewhere and you pulled the trigger a couple more times as bullets pierced through Beta's chest, slowing him down slightly before you lifted your sights and squeezed the trigger as the last bullet shot straight through his forehead and you watched as Alpha's right hand man dropped to the ground, dead.

"Are you okay?" You quickly asked, hating how hoarse your voice sounded after nearly being strangled to death as you rushed past Beta's body over to Daryl who was getting to his feet slowly.

"Yeah. Ya alright?" He asked once he got to his feet as he grabbed your shoulders, his eyes scanning your body for any signs of injuries before his eyes landed on your neck and you knew bruises were already forming from Beta's hands, but you were still breathing, that's all that mattered.

"I'm good, Daryl. It's okay." You tried to reassure as Daryl gently brushed his fingers over your neck causing you to wince slightly and he frowned shaking his head.

"It ain't okay." He muttered, his eyes locking with yours as you leant forward and kissed him gently. His hands instantly cupped the side of your face as he kissed you back before he wrapped you up into a tight hug and held you against his chest. "I love ya, baby." He whispered, placing a gentle kiss to the top your head.

"I love you too. C'mon let's go get Henry and Lydia." You replied and Daryl nodded, sparing one last look at Beta lying dead on the ground before you walked out the room.

-

Henry had gotten a cut on his thigh that was fairly deep, you did what you could to stop the bleeding, but it needed stitches. So you all decided to head to Alexandria because it was the closest, but you weren't going to stay long. You couldn't risk putting that community at risk too.

You sat down on the front steps to the infirmary while Siddiq stitched up Henry's wound inside, Lydia siting beside him while Daryl and Michonne had disappeared somewhere to talk.

It felt weird being back in Alexandria after everything that has happened. You hadn't stepped foot inside the community since Negan had been locked in the cell and that was well over six years ago. It didn't feel right without Rick here and you knew that feeling would never go away, it was the same with Carl, but you could see them both here wherever you went. But, despite how weird it felt being behind these walls again, it still felt like home.

"Y/N, I found someone who's been eager to see you." Michonne's voice suddenly called out, snapping you away from your thoughts as you looked up to find Michonne walking down the street towards you, followed by Daryl and Aaron behind her, but your attention was on the little girl walking beside Michonne.

Even with just a quick glance you instantly knew who it was. There was no mistaking that Deputy hat or Lori's long brunette hair or the cowboy boots that were smaller versions to Rick's signature boots. It was Judith. Holy shit, it was Judith.

"Oh my God." You gasped, covering your mouth with your hands in shock as you quickly stood up and walked down the stairs as you watched the group of them walk towards you. You could feel tears rising in your eyes as you stared at the little girl, unable to take your eyes off her.

"Judith?" You asked, unable to stop your voice from wavering as you walked over to them, meeting them in the middle of the street. "Do you remember me?" You asked hesitantly, because it had been over six years since you last saw her.

"Aunt Y/N, you were one of my dads best friends." Judith answered with a bright smile on her face and that was all it took for the tears in your eyes to escape as they silently fell down your cheeks as you nodded.

You knelt down on the ground as Judith ran the remaining distance over to you as she wrapped her arms around your shoulders and hugged you tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Judith." You whispered, holding the little girl tightly. "I should've been here for you after..." You trailed off, unable to finish that sentence. Rick died years ago, but it still hurt to think about and after everything that's happened... you just couldn't.

"You don't have anything to apologise. Thank you for keeping Uncle Daryl company in the woods." Judith replied quietly as she pulled away causing you to chuckle as you wiped the tears from your eyes. Rick and Carl would be so proud of her.

"Always, kiddo." You said, smiling down at her before her, Michonne and Daryl went into the infirmary to check on Henry, leaving you and Aaron standing outside.

"The sword looks good on you... He'd have wanted you to have it." He said, breaking the silence as he nodded down towards Paul's sword that you still had strapped to your belt, but you refused to use it.

You just nodded, not really knowing how to respond to that as you pulled out the small photograph you had folded in your pocket, the same photo that you had grabbed from your brothers trailer as you held it out to Aaron.

"He'd want you to have this." You said causing the guy to look at you in confusion as he grabbed the photograph and unfolded it before he gasped in shock as he stared at the selfie of him and Paul.

"H-how? Where did you find this?" He asked and you smiled sadly as you stared at the photo in his hands where they were both smiling happily.

"His trailer." You answered, wiping your teary eyes.

"I forgot he even had this... thank you. Don't you want a photo of him though?" Aaron asked, glancing back up towards you as you shook your head and pulled out your necklace that you had tucked under your flannel shirt. You opened the small heart shaped pendant as you turned it around to show him the small photo of you and Paul that was taken years before the world changed.

"I have my photo and it stays with me. Figured you probably wanted one too." You answered and Aaron nodded before he pulled you into a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just giving you guys a heads up now, the next chapter might be a bit delayed because I will be working 8 day in a row starting tomorrow, so I wont have much time, but if I do have any free time I will try and post the next chapter earlier. 
> 
> Anyway, until then stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	14. Chapter 14

You and Daryl ended up sleeping for a few hours in the spare room of Aaron's house while Siddiq kept an eye on Henry's stitches to make sure they held. You hadn't slept much at all these past few days and you didn't want to, but the second your head hit the pillow you were out like a light.

Daryl woke you a few hours later and by the time you left Alexandria it was dark outside. But, you knew the roads to Kingdom like the back of your hand, so you knew you'd be fine.

Henry was limping a bit with his leg, but was able to use his stick as a crutch and Lydia helped him while Dog followed beside the group of you.

You had stops every few hours while you walked, giving Henry some time to rest his leg, but by the time the sun rose again, you came across Michonne and Judith in the back of a horse cart who picked you up and took you all to Kingdom. To your relief, Michonne had changed her mind and allowed a delegation to go to the fair and help out Kingdom because apparently things were getting bad there, so you were glad Michonne had changed her mind.

When you arrived at the community you were blown away by how many decorations and stalls were set up everywhere. But, you had bigger things to deal with than helping out around the community especially when Tara started going off about Lydia being there. You understood why she didn't want the girl there, you used to feel the same, but now you knew the truth.

"I know I haven't always seen eye-eye with everyone in this room, but I never stopped caring about any of you. I was just trying to protect my family and do right by my people. Alexandria's future is here. Together, with you. And we lost sight of that for a while, but I'm here now. We're here now." Michonne said as you all stood in the main theatre room at Kingdom with Ezekiel, Carol, Michonne, Gabriel, Tara, Daryl and Rachel from Oceanside who had grown up a lot since you last saw her. While Henry, Lydia and Judith were sitting in the front row of chairs watching you all talk.

"I've taken an informal vote with the other council members at the fair, and we all agree. Alexandria is willing to grant asylum to Lydia. She's one of us now. We hope the rest of you can join us in doing the same." Gabriel announced and you sighed with relief from where you sat on the ground beside Daryl while the others all stood around a small table.

"Thank you. I'll do whatever I can to earn my keep and pay you back." Lydia replied and you smiled proudly at the young girl before Tara spoke up.

"If her mother retaliates, it's gonna be against Hilltop, not Alexandria. I have to do right by my people, I thought we were on the same page." She said, looking over at Michonne and you had to bite your tongue to stop yourself from saying anything because Hilltop had only been 'her people' for a few days and your brother would've help Lydia in any way he could.

"We were. And look, when she came to my gates, I asked her to run away. And when she didn't, I was angry. I know why Rick didn't trust me when I showed up at the gates of the prison and how people didn't trust you after seeing you on the other side of the Governor's firing line." Michonne began to explain.

"I was gonna kill you on sight when you washed up on our shore." Rachel spoke up causing you to smile slightly because you could tell this was slowly starting to make sense to Tara.

"Okay, okay. Fair." She nodded in agreement. "I left some fighters at Hilltop, but if Daryl's right about these skin job numbers, it's not enough."

"We should take a group to Hilltop to protect 'em, just in case." Daryl spoke up from beside you and everyone in the room nodded.

"It's a good idea. I'll take some from the Kingdom." Carol announced.

"Oceanside can spare some fighters." Rachel added.

"Alexandria can, too." Gabriel said and you smiled, relived that all the communities were starting to work together again.

"Sending more people is only a short-term solution. In order to face this threat, the four communities have to present a united front. Which is why I'm proposing a mutual protection pact. An attack against one community is an attack against all of us. Together, we can make these people think twice before moving against Hilltop." Michonne explained and you reached over for Daryl's hand as he laced your fingers together and squeezed it gently, knowing what you were thinking. This is the future Carl had envisioned. All the communities working as one and helping each other, this is what Rick and Carl would have wanted.

"The leadership of the Kingdom is very amenable to this idea." Ezekiel replied and Rachel nodded in agreement.

"Oceanside's down."

"Okay. So, how do we seal it? Spit and shake, blood oath?" Tara chuckled, looking around at the group of you as you looked over at Ezekiel remembering how Paul had told you about the charter that him and Tara had given to Ezekiel to keep safe, knowing a time like this would eventually come. You just wished Paul was here to see it.

"I have just the thing." The king announced and you watched as he pulled out the charter, shocking Michonne that he had it before all the leaders of the communities began to sign it.

Once it was signed Ezekiel put the large sheet of paper back into the glass frame box he had it in before he hung it up on the wall, proudly. You all agreed to meet at the front gates in an hour to get ready, so you and Daryl began to wonder around the fair while you had the chance.

You bumped into Connie who had bought the baby boy with her who you happily took from the woman's arms as you cradled him to your chest while you and Daryl continued to walk around the fair.

You walked past Enid and Siddiq's stall where they were teaching people how to do CPR, the young woman waving happily at you and you waved back while you continued walking. Daryl had his arm wrapped over your shoulder as you slowly walked around the community, the baby fast asleep in your arms. You walked past Henry and Lydia a couple times, while the young boy showed her around the community and you could tell Lydia was really starting to like it here.

The two of you got some food and took turns feeding the baby with a bottle before you handed him back to Connie who was more than happy to look after him along with Dog, while you guys headed back to Hilltop to protect it.

"Thanks for keeping me out of trouble." Henry suddenly said and you turned around to find him shaking Daryl's hand.

"Take care of your mom." Daryl responded, patting Henry's back who nodded before he walked over to you and pulled you into a hug. "Thank you for everything. You're gonna be a great mother, that baby is lucky to have you." Henry said softly as you wrapped your arms around him and hugged him back.

"Thanks, kiddo." You replied as you pulled away and walked over to Ezekiel and hugged him too.

"Thank you. When Hilltop is secure, know that our doors are always open to you two. We'd be honoured if you guys consider calling the Kingdom your home." Ezekiel offered as you walked back over to Daryl.

"We'll think 'bout it." Your husband answered and you nodded in agreement before the two of you walked over to Daryl's motorcycle and you climbed on the back once Daryl sat down and started the engine.

On your way back to Hilltop you came across DJ and the Highway men -Carol had told you about them earlier- and they showed you the horse cart destroyed and all the supplies inside scattered over the ground everywhere and it was clear that it was the living who had done this.

"Hey, they dragged 'em out this way." Daryl called out and you walked over to him taking in the tracks through the mud that he was looking at.

"We can't all go rushing in there." You spoke up, it could be a trap or it could be a decoy. "Half of us should follow the tracks, see where they lead. The rest should head to Hilltop, make sure the community is protected." You instructed, looking around the group of you.

"Michonne, Y/N and I can go with Daryl. We can track them." Carol agreed.

"We'll keep up our patrols around the Kingdom. Just in case. 'Course this means you owe us a couple movies when this is done." The leader of the Highway men said and Carol agreed before you all split up. Yumiko ended up joining you too despite Magna not wanting her to go and you smiled softly when the two of them kissed. They were a cute couple.

You followed the tracks until dark, but luckily Carol had a torch with her as you continued to follow the tracks until Daryl stopped and you knew something was instantly wrong by how tense his body suddenly got as he stared at the tracks on the forest floor.

"The trail goes off in three different ways. Don't make sense." Daryl muttered and your blood ran cold.

"This is a trap. We need to go." You quickly announced as twigs snapped in the distance and you all turned around before walkers began to appear around you.

"Watch their hands. They could be skins." Yumiko called out as you quickly drew your bow and fired an arrow into the first walker before more continued to surround you.

"Back to the road. This way." Daryl shouted and you all turned around to follow him, but more walkers cut you off.

"Shit." You cursed under your breath as you quickly realised that you were being surrounded. "Back to back. We can take them." You instructed as the small group of you all quickly huddled together as you slung your bow over your shoulder and pulled your machete from your belt.

You stood between Daryl and Carol as the four of you took down the walkers. Michonne with her katana while the rest of you used knife, stabbing their heads one after another. By the time you took down the small herd, you were all panting as you stared at the walkers corpses on the ground around you, but you didn't get a chance to be relieved over the small victory before whispers began to fill the air and your blood ran cold.

Suddenly, more walkers began to come out from behind all the trees and you quickly realised that they weren't walkers when they stopped walking and just stood around the group, surrounding you completely as they stared at you.

Instinctively you leant closer to Daryl until your shoulders brushed together as you quickly pulled your handgun out and aimed it at the whisperers in front of you.

"Drop them." A familiar voice instructed and you felt your blood start to boil hearing Alpha's voice as she stepped forward and you quickly aimed your sights on her. "I won't ask twice." She stated and you spared a glance over at Daryl and the others who all began to drop their weapons to the ground and you sighed, dropping your gun, bow and knife.

"Tie them up and take them with us." Alpha instructed as she walked back into the woods as her people began to walk towards you with rope, but like hell you were going to be tied up.

Without hesitation, you quickly kicked your bow back up with your boot, catching it with ease as you slammed the end of your bow into the first whisperer, causing him to stumble back.

"Y/N!" Daryl shouted, from beside you, but before you could do anything else something hard slammed into your forehead and the last thing you saw was Daryl rushing towards you, grabbing your shoulders before the world faded to black.

-

You weren't sure how long you had been unconscious for, but by the time you opened your eyes you quickly realised that you weren't were you were earlier.

Your hands were tied behind your back as you laid on the ground, your head was thumping in pain as you slowly looked around to find the others all standing around you in a circle, their hands tied behind there backs as well when suddenly Daryl realised you were awake.

"Hey, ya alright?" He whispered, kneeling down beside you and you just nodded, but instantly regretted it by the pain it caused your head.

"Stand up." Alpha's voice suddenly instructed and you looked past Daryl to find her walking towards the group of you and you forced yourself to your feet, which was a little harder without your hands as you leant against Daryl slightly when the world started to spin slightly.

"Ya ain't gettin' her back." Daryl muttered, as you blinked a few times until everything stopped spinning as you glared at Alpha, got you wished you could shoot her like you did Beta.

"You think this is about my daughter? You killed my right hand man, you killed a lot of my people." Alpha began to say as she walked closer.

"We've granted Lydia asylum. Any attempt to take her by force will result in retaliation." Michonne spoke up from the other side of you, catching Alpha's attention.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Michonne."

"Does she speak for you?" Alpha questioned looking over at you and Daryl and before you could answer Daryl did.

"We speak for each other." He answered and you nodded in agreement which seemed to annoy the other woman as she glanced between the two of you.

"My daughter isn't a concern anymore. She was weak. She never lived up to expectations-"

"Was? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" You questioned, cutting her off as you stood up a bit straighter.

"To be clear." Alpha began to say as she pulled out a sawn off shotgun from behind her back and aimed it towards the group of you. "Your group is in no position to threaten me. That is a habit that needs to be broken. Now, you, come with me. Just you." She instructed, motioning towards Daryl with the shotgun and you froze.

"No." You quickly said, glancing over at Daryl before you turned back towards Alpha who was glaring at you before Daryl started to move.

"S'alright." Daryl mumbled, glancing over at you before he followed Alpha off in the distance and you watched him until his angel winged vest disappeared off into the woods.

"He'll be alright." Yumiko whispered from beside you and you nodded ever so slightly, hoping like hell that she was right because if she touched a single hair on his head then you'll kill her. She was dead already, but you'd make sure it was even more painful if she hurt Daryl as well.

The next few hours went by painfully slow as you all stood there with your hands tied behind your back, waiting. Eventually, a group of the whisperers began walking you guys through the woods into a clearing as they gave you your weapons back and instructed you to stay there and that Daryl would be there soon.

So, you waited, throwing your bow over your shoulder and holstering your handgun and knife as you paced left and right around Carol, Michonne and Yumiko waiting for Daryl to come. You had a really bad feeling about something and you couldn't shake it, but the others kept saying that Daryl would be fine, that Alpha wasn't stupid enough to kill him like that.

What felt like another hour, but was probably only a few minutes of pacing, Daryl finally appeared as he walked out the woods and you ran over to him, wrapping him up in a tight hug before Carol walked over and hugged him too.

"Let's get the hell outta here." Daryl muttered and you all nodded in agreement as you began to head back into the woods until you spotted Siddiq sitting down against a tree, his hands tied behind the trunk of the tree, his mouth gage and dry blood down the side of his face from a cut on the corner of his head.

Michonne was the first one to respond as she rushed over to the doctor and you all quickly followed, your bow in your hands as you scanned your surroundings in case the person who did this was still out there, but you knew it was the whisperers and they were long gone by now, at least for the time being anyway.

"What happened?" Michonne asked in panic, bringing your attention back to the doctor as she helped him to his feet.

"I...I..." Siddiq struggled to say as he pointed towards the edge of the woods where the clearing was that lead to a large field and the bad feeling you had earlier just got worse.

You glanced back at Siddiq before you began walking towards the clearing where he was pointing. Daryl, Carol and Yumiko right behind you as you slowly walked up the hill of the field spotting something in the distance.

You continued walking, your bow in your hands as you frowned trying to figure out what the sticks were in the distance, but as you got closer you realised that they were heads on pikes and suddenly you felt like you were going to be sick.

Why the fuck would Alpha put walker heads on top of pikes? They used to be people, they're not objects for your own entertainment.

You walked towards the pikes, the others following behind you, but the second you saw the few on the left you froze. The highway men and DJ, it was their heads. What the fuck? You didn't really know them well, but what the actual fuck? Why would she do something like this?

Slowly your eyes began to scan across at the other heads, hoping like hell that you didn't recognise them, but you did. Frankie, Tammy Rose, Addy and Rodney. Holy shit. You could feel tears starting to rise in your eyes before you continued to look down the row and you dropped your bow when you realised who it was.

"No." You whispered, shaking your head in disbelief as you stared at Enid's head on the next pike. No. No. No. Not Enid, not the little girl you had taken under your wing all those years ago. Not the little girl you saw Carl get attached to. Not the little girl you held crying when you told her the news about Carl. Not the little girl who held you crying when your brother died. Not her. Not Enid.

Tears were pouring down your face as you stared at her now walker head, her long hair blowing in the wind, but it was her. It was definitely her. But, you only just saw her earlier. She was happy and smiling while she taught people how to do CPR at the fair, she was laughing with Alden and Luke when you walked past them earlier at the fair, this couldn't be happening.

You forced yourself to look away from her as you glanced over at the next pike and your hands quickly covered your mouth to muffle the sob that escaped your lips when you took in Tara's head beside Enid's.

Suddenly, Daryl's voice broke through the air and you froze.

"No! No!" He yelled as he rushed over to Carol and turned her away from the pikes and you quickly snapped your head back around towards the last pike and that was it.

Your legs suddenly buckled from underneath you as you crashed to the ground on your knees unable to stop yourself from crying as you started at Henry's head on the end pike. No, no, no, this had to be some kind of sick joke. This couldn't be happening.

Tears poured down your cheeks as you covered your face with your hands, sobs wrecking through your body as you felt someone drop down beside you and wrap their arm over your back as your body shook.

You glanced up, spotting Yumiko beside you, her eyes laced with tears as you both stared at the pikes before you dropped your head to your chest and continued to cry. You could hear Carol crying as Daryl held her, along with Michonne and Siddiq, but there was nothing you could do. They were dead. Enid. Tara. Henry. The others. They were all dead.

-

Everyone had gathered in front of the stage at Kingdom later that day as Siddiq stood on stage and explained what happened to everyone. Those last few hours felt like a blur. You had buried the heads of your friends and family and now you were standing beside Daryl who had the baby asleep in his arms while Lydia stood on your other side, your arm wrapped over the young girls shoulders as she clung to your side and cried.

"I was there. I was taken with the others. And I saw... I was supposed to die with them. I was ready to. Then, Alpha whispered in my ear; 'tell them.' Something hit me, and everything went black. And when I woke up, I was alone. What happened was evil. It was evil. And I think she left me alive to tell you that story. To scare you and drive us all apart again." Siddiq said as you watched him from the back of the crowd. Your hand tightened around Lydia's shoulders as Daryl reached for your free hand and laced your fingers together.

"But, I want to tell you a different story. See, before the end Ozzy, Alek and DJ found us and gave us an opening. And everyone fought back. They fought like hell and what they did was more than brave because they defended each other, and sacrificed for each other. And some of them they didn't even know each other, but they still fought like they did. Like they were family. Until the very end." He continued to say, wiping his teary eyes as he looked around at all of you before continuing.

"And... And in the end, their time was cut short, but ours keeps going. So, we have to keep going. For them and for us. We need to honour them. We need to honour them and we need to remember these friends, our family, died as heroes. That's the story that I want to tell you. That's the story that I want us to remember." He finished as silent tears trickled down your face.

None of you moved while everyone else began to wonder off, but you remained standing there holding Lydia as the two of you silently cried before Daryl lead you both over to one of the small tables and sat you down.

There was nothing any of you could say to make this better. Lydia had just lost the boy she liked, and you and Daryl had just lost friends, family and there was nothing you could say or do to make it any better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 3 more chapters left!! And yes this chapter hurt to write, this scene hurt to watch and I still cry every time I watch it. I just cant believe we lost Enid, Tara and Henry all in one episode and for it to happen like that... I as such a mess watching this episode when it aired. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and hopefully I will post the next one soon, but I tart night shift next week so I’m not sure exactly when it wil be posted, but I promise I ill keep you guys posted. Until then, stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	15. Chapter 15

The next four months went by in a haze. You and Daryl moved back to Alexandria with Lydia and the baby boy who you and Daryl named, Paul. It wasn't hard deciding on that name, especially since Daryl suggested it and you immediately said yes.

You lived in the spare house next door to Aaron and Gracie's home. It was only a two-bedroom house and fairly small, but you didn't need much anyway.

A lot happened during those few months, Eugene had gotten communication up and running between all the communities, so you could talk to each other easily. Hilltop now had a council running it like Alexandria did, but you hadn't step foot back inside that community. You couldn't. It just felt wrong without, Paul. It just wasn't right to be in Hilltop without him around, it was his community. So, Daryl had gotten your quadbike from the community and bought it back to Alexandria for you, which you were grateful for.

Although a lot had happened during those months, nothing happened at the same time. You hadn't heard or seen any of the whisperers since the day of the pikes and that scared the hell out of you. But, you weren't going to sit around and wait for them to strike first, because you knew they would attack again, it was just a matter of time. So, during those few months you came up with a plan.

You spent those months secretly planning and strategizing against the whisperers and once winter finally arrived, you made your move.

"What are ya doin'?" Daryl asked, walking into the bedroom with baby Paul sitting on his hip and you smiled at the sight before you continued to pack your backpack up with water and supplies.

"Heading to Hilltop. Magna said she found some stuff that belonged to my brother and wants me to come over and figure out what to do with it." You explained, slinging the backpack over your shoulders as you grabbed your bow that was leaning against the bed before you made your way outside and Daryl followed, his eyes widening slightly noticing that your quadbike was already parked in front of the house, loaded with a couple jerry cans of fuel and a large duffle bag.

"Ya need all that fuel just to go to Hilltop?" He asked sceptically, raising his eyebrow at you.

"No, but I'll go straight to Kingdom once I'm done. I'll meet you at Kingdom in a couple days to help transport the community to Hilltop, give some of the kids a ride on my bike so they don't have to walk." You explained and Daryl nodded.

Ezekiel had announced last week that the Kingdom had fallen. The rot and decay had set in, all their pipes had burst flooding most the houses and the houses that didn't get water damage ended up burning due to fuel leaks. The Kingdom was an amazing community, but it didn't stand a chance against the decay and Hilltops council allowed them to seek refuge at their community until they found a new place to stay.

You, Daryl, Lydia, Aaron, Michonne and a group from Hilltop were gonna head over to Kingdom and help them move everything to Hilltop, but there was something you needed to take care of before you did that, but you couldn't tell Daryl.

"Ya want me to come to Hilltop with ya? We can get Rosita to look after Paul a few days earlier." Daryl suggested and you smiled softly at his thoughtfulness and you knew Rosita wouldn't mind. She loved your son to bits and wanted to practice with him before her son or daughter is born in a few months time.

"No, it's okay. Stay here with Lydia, I'll meet you at Kingdom." You replied, walking away from the bike as you pulled Daryl into a hug, being mindful of Paul in his arms as he hugged you back.

"Be careful, alright? If ya want me to come to Hilltop, just call over the radio once ya get there 'n I'll be there within a day." He said, kissing the top of your head and you pulled away slightly before kissing his lips.

"I love you so much, Daryl. Don't ever forget that." You said, resting your forehead against his as he used his free hand to cup your cheek and pressed a gentle kiss to your lips again.

"I love ya too, baby." He whispered before you leant down and kissed Paul's forehead causing the baby boy to squirm slightly in his sleep and you smiled before looking at Daryl once last time. You took in his features and the half smile plastered on his lips as you stared at him like it was the last time you'd ever see him, because deep down you knew it was a high possibility, but it'd be worth it. If you got take Alpha down and get justice for your twin brother, it would be worth it.

You mounted your quadbike, readjusting your bow over your shoulder as you bought the bike to life, glancing over at Daryl one last time as he gave you a small wave and you nodded back before you rode off towards the large gate of Alexandria.

-

"Lydia, you awake?" You asked, knocking on the young girls bedroom door quietly. You knew she would be awake, she only went to bed five minutes ago, but you figured you should probably knock and ask first to respect the girls privacy, hell you were teenager once, you knew what it was like.

"Yeah, come in." She called out and you slowly opened the door spotting her sitting on the bed with her legs crossed as she fiddled with a small novel in her lap that Daryl had given her a few days ago.

"I need you to tell me everything you know and everything you can remember about where the Whisperers go during winter. They can't stay in this area when the winter hits, it gets too cold." You explained causing the girl to frown slightly at the unexpected question and you sighed walking over to her as you sat down on the edge of her bed. "Please, we both know that this isn't the last we'll be seeing of your mother and I won't let anyone else I care about die to the hands of her and her people-"

"There's a camp we... they always go back to during winter." Lydia said cutting you off, shocking you slightly that she didn't hesitate to tell you this stuff, but you weren't going to complain. "It's about 80 miles east near, you can't miss it. She keeps the herd of walkers milling around in a large canyon or quarry or valley type thing. The herd can only get out the quarry by two dirt tracks that go up, it makes them easier to control especially since it's cold so not many whisperers are needed to be out in that weather to control them." Lydia explained and you sat there, writing it all down on a small note pad as she continued to explain to you how their shift work worked.

You asked her a few more questions and she answered in a lot more detail than you thought she would, but Alpha killed Henry and you were pretty sure any feelings she had towards her mother were long gone now.

The following few weeks, you and Lydia would stay up late as she talked to you about the whisperers winter camp and anything else that she could think of while you wrote it down and started planning out the best route on a map to get to the camp. Lydia, was more than happy to help you and promised not to tell anyone about it, although she seemed confused that you didn't want Daryl to know what you were planning, but she kept quiet in exchange for you to tell her bedtime stories at night.

You'd tell her stories from your life before, stories about growing up in a group home with your brother or working as a construction worker without having any qualifications or even earlier on during the start of all of this with the group at the farm and prison. Lydia really enjoyed your stories and you knew it helped her sleep, which was something you had all struggled with lately.

-

You pulled up to the front of Hilltop's gates, the workers in the vegetable garden all waving happily at you and you waved back while you sat on your bike waiting.

A few minutes later the front gate opened as Magna and Yumiko came out riding on the back of a horse together. Yumiko sitting on the back with her compound bow, similar to yours hung over her back, while Magna sat at the front.

"You two sure about this? It's not too late to pull out, I'd understand." You said, standing up on your quadbike so you were level with the two of them as they stopped the horse beside you and they nodded.

"We're sure. Alpha has to pay for what she did, let's go." Magna responded and with that the three of you took off down the road in the direction of your next pitstop.

It took a couple hours, but you eventually reached Carol's old house that she had taken refuge in for a while back during the war with the Saviours. The house hadn't changed much at all since you last saw it, but you weren't there for the house.

"She should be here soon." You said, turning off your bike as you jumped off and grabbed one of the jerry cans to refill the gas tank while Magna and Yumiko gave the horse some food and water while you waited.

The three of you were leaning against the fence to the house, passing a can of beans amongst each other to eat before the familiar sound of horse hooves hitting the bitumen filled the air and you looked down the road spotting Carol on the horse trotting in your direction.

"Sorry I'm late, couldn't slip away from Ezekiel earlier." She apologised as you threw her a water bottle and she caught it easily taking a sip before throwing it back to you.

"That's fine, did you bring it?" You asked and Carol nodded as she motioned towards the gun case that she had strapped to her back along with her recurve bow and quiver of arrows and you grinned.

"Do you have the bullets? I could only get away with taking two magazines." The older woman said as you began to mount your bike while Magna and Yumiko climbed back onto their horse.

"Sure do. Let's get going, hopefully we'll get there before dark." You said and the three woman all nodded in agreement before you took off down the road. You took the lead while the others followed you down the various roads and cutting through the woods when you needed to.

You had memorised the route on the map, you knew every turn, every bridge, every town, you had memorised everything during the past few months, so you didn't even need to look at the map while you rode.

-

You were walking around the community with Paul sitting in the stroller you had gotten from Michonne who didn't need it anymore. You had just giving your son a bottle an hour ago, but he still refused to go sleep so you decided on taking him for a walk which usually worked to put him to sleep.

"Eugene." You called out, spotting the man walk out the church and turned in your direction once he heard your voice as you quickly walked over to him, pushing the stroller in front of you.

"Hello." The man answered, glancing down at Paul in the stroller smiling softly at the little boy before he looked back towards you, noticing something slightly off. "Something wrong?"

"No, I just need to ask you a favour, but you can't mention it to anyone." You said, glancing around making sure that nobody else was around before you looked back towards the other man. "If I got the materials and supplies needed, can you make me some bullets?"

"I don't see why not. I already make bullets for the other communities, what calibre and how many?" He asked curiously as he fiddled with his long pony tail that was getting longer and longer each time you saw him.

".50 calibre and I need you to make as many as you can in three months." You explained causing him to frown slightly at you and he opened his mouth to say something before you cut him off. "Don't ask questions, just trust me, please. I need it and you can't tell anyone, not even Rosita." You said and Eugene just nodded in agreement before a familiar voice spoke up.

"Did I just hear my name?" Rosita called out causing you to jump slightly because you didn't hear or see her coming as you turned around to find her walking towards the two of you.

"Yeah, I need to ask you something in private." You said, glancing back to Eugene who stood there dumbly for a few seconds before it clicked.

"Right, that's my cue to leave. Have a nice day and I will give you a list of what supplies I'll need." The man said and you nodded watching as he walked off just as Rosita reached your side, waving to the man before she crouched down in front of the stroller and smiled brightly at Paul.

"What's up?" She asked, keeping her voice low so she didn't wake the baby as she stood back up and looked over at you.

"This is going to sound random and probably crazy, but do you still have some of those explosives from the war with the Saviours?" You asked, knowing full well that if there were sticks of dynamite left over that Rosita would know where they were.

The woman stared at your for a few seconds, her hands crossing over her chest as she contemplated what to say before she sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, why?" She asked, looking at you sceptically which was fair enough because the last time a stick of dynamite was used was when Rick blew up the bridge.

"I can't tell you why... It's just... Do you trust me?" You asked, rubbing your face with your hands as you tried to figure out what to say. Eugene never asked any questions, he probably didn't really care and even if he did he must have figured it was better to not know details, but Rosita was different. She liked to know everything, she liked to know what people were doing and that wasn't a bad thing because you were the same. You didn't like being kept in the dark, so you understood the woman's curiosity, but you couldn't tell her about your plan. She was pregnant, she had family, you didn't want to get her caught up in the middle of it.

"Of course, I trust you." She answered instantly, flicking one of her braids over her shoulder as she looked at you in confusion.

"Then trust me on this. I need those explosive for something." You said, biting your lip as you stared at the other woman who sighed, glancing back down at Paul's sleeping form before she nodded.

"I hope I don't regret this, come on." Rosita said nodding for you to follow her as you grabbed the stroller and began to follow her down the street.

-

You, Carol, Magna and Yumiko rode for the rest of the day and camped in the small cabin that you had located weeks earlier. It had one bedroom and a bathroom, but the rest of the cabin was one big large room with the living area and kitchen in one. You had already set up four sleeping bags along the floor with a pile of blankets sitting the couch in case any of you needed the extra layers.

"You really have planned this." Carol commented as the group of you walked into the cabin as the other women took in the sleeping bags and supplies scattered along the bench and you just nodded, dropping your bow and duffle bag on the table. "Do you think this will work?" Carol asked, shutting the front door behind her.

"Been planning it for over three months, it will work." You reassured, although there was a small voice in the back of your head saying that it might not, that it might all come unravelled if even the slightest detail Lydia had told you wasn't true or even if the whisperers don't go back to their usual winter camp, then all of this was for nothing.

"So, in the morning we leave on foot and head towards the valley, quarry thing? That's where Alpha is keeping her herd, right?" Magna asked as she sat down on the couch, kicking her legs up and resting them over Yumiko's lap and you nodded.

"I know Lydia wouldn't lie to you, but how do you know that Alpha won't change her winter routine?" Yumiko asked and you just shrugged your shoulders. You didn't know. But, she had been doing the same winter routine for the past four years according to Lydia, so you figured it was your best bet.

"I don't, but this is the only thing I could think of because sooner or later the Whisperers will come back even if we agree to her boarders and don't cross them. She will still come back, they always do." You answered and the others all nodded in agreement as you unzipped the duffle bag and pulled out the bundles of arrows you had made.

"How'd you make all these without Daryl getting suspicious?" Carol questioned, staring at all the arrows as you handed her a bundle of the ones with longer shafts that suited her recurve bow better and handed Yumiko the other bundle.

"Whenever he went out hunting, I made them. He's caught me making them a few times, but I'd just say that I broke a few and needed spares." You answered and Carol nodded with an impressed expression because she knew how hard it was to keep secrets from Daryl, he was the most observant person you knew and he could read you like a book. You were kind of shocked you managed to keep him in the dark about this whole plan because you knew if he found out then he would want to come, but you couldn't let him come. You couldn't risk losing him too.

You moved the last bundle of arrows in the bag to the side as you began to pull out the full magazine of .50 calibre bullets for the semi-automatic sniper rifle that Carol had borrowed from Kingdoms armoury.

"I got 10 magazines full of bullets, along with a bunch of loose bullets in this bag since I couldn't find enough magazines. We won't be running out of ammo anytime soon, do you guys remember the plan?" You asked, shoving the magazines into a backpack that you already had inside the cabin so it was easier to carry over your back rather than the duffle bag.

"Yep. You three with your bows and I get the sniper. The whisperers won't know what hit them." Magna responded with a grin as she looked over at the sniper bag leaning against the wall and you smiled at the happy expression on the woman's face before you began getting your sleeping bag ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well as you can tell from this point on I go away from the shows canon and create my own ending to the Whisperers, so stay tuned because it’s about to get interesting. 
> 
> Anyway, until next time stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	16. Chapter 16

  
By the time the sun was high in the sky, the four of you had been walking for nearly an hour through the woods before the familiar sounds of walkers groaning filled the air and you grinned. The herd was here. That was a start.

You indicated for the others to all keep quiet as you trekked further through the woods until you reached the edge of a cliff. You couldn't stop the grin spreading across your face as you crouched down beside the cliff face and looked down taking in the mass number of walkers milling around inside the quarry.

"Holy shit." One of the others gasped as they all knelt down beside you, taking in the herd of walkers below you. There had to be over a thousand walkers amongst that herd, what kind of people were willing to walk around amongst all those walkers? Just one slip up, one sneeze or one small cut on your arm that exposes blood and you're screwed.

"See that road that spirals up around the quarry? There's an entrance just a few hundred metres to our left and another entrance on the other side of the quarry. They're the only way in and out." You explained, pointing towards the main roads that lead down into the steep quarry. "I have already planted dynamite inside the dirt by both entrances and marked them with spray paint. We blow the dynamite which should trigger a landslide and block up the roads, trapping the walkers and whisperers inside."

"That means we have to blow them both at the same time because if we blow one exit then the whisperers inside the herd will just escape through the other exit." Carol spoke up, but you shook your head.

"That's where Magna comes in with the sniper." You said, looking over at the other woman before looking back towards the quarry. "We blow the first dynamite together, then I will head over to the other road. It'll take me half an hour to get over there, I've already timed it. So, while I'm heading over there I need Magna with the sniper to take out any whisperers trying to escape through the last exit. While she's covering the other exit I need Yumiko and Carol to stay here with your bows and take down any whisperers that try and climb over the rubble and dirt." You explained, looking between the three women who all nodded taking in the information.

"The explosion should draw the herd so any walkers making their way towards the other exit in the other direction will obviously be Whisperers. But, what about the whisperers that aren't in the quarry? Like Alpha?" Magna asked, glancing over at you and you sighed. This was part of the plan that you hadn't told them yet and you knew they wouldn't like it.

"Once I blow the last exit, I'm going to wait until dark and then sneak into their camp." You informed and they all snapped their heads in your direction like you were crazy as you quickly raised your hands in surrender.

"I know. I know. But, I'm doing this last part alone. Once I blow the last exit and no more whisperers are trying to climb out the quarry then you guys pack up the gear and head back to the cabin. Grab your horses and the last of the supplies and go back to your communities. I will meet you all back at Kingdom once I'm done just in time to help everyone move to Hilltop." You explained, but it was clear that none of them liked the plan at all.

"You want us to just leave while you take on the rest of the Whisperers and Alpha?" Carol questioned in disbelief and you just nodded. You had a plan, it could work and if it didn't work... well if it didn't work then you didn't want the others around when shit hit the fan. You couldn't risk losing any of them.

"I know it sounds crazy, but you have to trust me. It will work, but I have to do it alone." You insisted, but they all just shook their heads as they stared at you in shock. "Please. Look, Carol, you've known me since the start. You were there when Glenn bought me and Rick into camp. You know me better than most, you have to trust me on this." You said, your voice almost pleading as you stared at the older woman.

"I don't like it. You saw what Alpha can do." Yumiko spoke up and you sighed, rubbing your face with your hands.

"That's why I need to do it. Her people killed my brother, they murdered him right in in front of me. I have to do this, with or without your support, I don't care, but I'm doing it." You stated, looking between the three women and they sighed, but slowly nodded. "Good, now let's go." You said, standing back up as you began walking along the cliff face towards the first exit.

It took a few minutes, but you eventually reached the entry to the road that spiralled down into the quarry. You used your bows to take down the few walkers stumbling around the start of the road before you instructed the others to all wait up the top. You quickly ran down the road until you spotted the familiar red 'x' you had spray painted and dug the dynamite up.

Within a few minutes, you had set the explosives up inside the wall with the extra long fuse sticking out as you took the lighter from your pocket and lit the fuse before you sprinted back up the road to where the others were.

"Come back a bit more. I don't know how much of the cliff face will get taken out in the explosion." You quickly instructed breathlessly as you ran back further away from the road and cliff face and not a minute later the dynamite exploded and the forest floor rumbled from below you.

You couldn't see it, but you heard the landslide as part of the cliff collapsed and after a few minutes you all began to make your way towards the edge and you chuckled in relief as you took in the now completely blocked road. There was no way walkers were getting out this way, you doubted any Whisperers would even be able to climb that the amount of rubble and debris now covering the road.

"I can't believe that actually worked." Magna commented and Yumiko hummed in agreement as you all stared down at the quarry.

"Alright. Carol, Yumiko, take down any Whisperers that try climb out. Magna, take out any Whisperers that try make a run for it out that exit." You instructed, pointing towards the other road on the other side of the quarry. "I'll see you guys back at Kingdom later. Be careful and leave once I blow the other road, these explosions will attract other walkers, so get out of here as soon as you can."

"I hate this, but be careful, okay? You better come back, Y/N. I'm not telling Daryl that his wife tried taking on Alpha alone and didn't come back. So, make sure you come back." Carol ordered and you nodded.

"I will, promise." You replied, hugging each of them before slinging the backpack from your shoulders containing the arrows and bullets before you disappeared through the woods.

It was easy enough to blow the other road and to your relief it worked perfectly as well. You could still hear the occasional gunshot from Magna's sniper, but after 20 minutes the gunshots stopped indicating that the group of them had left.

You stayed hidden, following the dirt track that lead from the quarry into the Whisperers camp in the middle of the woods. You had scouted that camp out weeks ago and you knew every tree and every rock in the area.

You remained hidden behind a bunch of bushes that had a clear line of sight to the dirt path where the whisperers would walk to and from the quarry. So, you stayed hidden and used your bow to take out the whisperers that either went to see what the explosions were or to swap shifts with the ones steering the herd.

Once the sun disappeared, you made your move. It was a full moon like you knew it would be, giving you clear vision as you snuck into their camp

Lydia had told you that most of them slept during the night while only a few stayed on watch and patrolled the area, so they were your first priority.

You stuck to the outskirts of their camp, taking mental notes of where everyone was sleeping as you pulled your machete out and silently snuck around the area. Lydia had told you were Alpha usually slept, away from the others, but you wanted to leave her for last.

You took out the guards from behind, covering their mouths with your hand while slicing their throats and quietly lowering their bodies to the ground, being careful to make any noise so you didn't wake up the other sleeping Whisperers.

Once the guards were taken care of, you began to go around to the sleeping Whisperers and started to take them out too. It reminded you of the time you took out the Saviours Satellite outpost in the middle of the night, killing them all in their sleep. That's where you got the idea from, it worked back then so you hoped Rick's idea would work now too.

"What the hell?" A voice suddenly shouted just as you pulled your machete from a Whisperer's head who you just stabbed in it's sleep. You quickly spun around to find one of the other Whisperers sitting up against a tree, his mask sitting in his lap as he stared at you with wide eyes.

Without hesitation you quickly tucked your machete away and drew your bow all within a couple seconds, giving him no time to respond as an arrow shot straight through his chest, but not before he let out an ear piercing scream.

"Shit." You cursed under your breath as you quickly nocked another arrow onto the string and turned around to the muffled voices of the remaining Whisperers. Five Whisperers were all standing up now, all of them without their masks as their eyes flashed between you and all the dead bodies scattered around the camp.

Suddenly, they began to pull knives out from their sleeves, their eyes all focused on you and you sighed. Well, there goes your plan of staying silent.

Throwing your bow over your shoulder, you quickly pulled out your handgun strapped to your belt. You raised the gun in their direction as they all began to sprint towards you and you didn't waste any time as you pulled the hammer back and fired at the last remaining Whisperers.

You fired off three shots, killing three of them before the other two reached you. You only just managed to dodge their knives as you jumped backwards, but not before one of them knocked the gun from your hand as it toppled onto the dirt floor.

The two Whisperers didn't waste any time as they continued to charge at you and you only just pulled your bow out in time and used it as a shield to block their swings from the knifes. You kicked one of the Whisperers away causing him to fall backwards as you slammed the end of your bow into the head of the other, knocking him unconscious.

You quickly turned your attention towards the other Whisperer who was rushing to get to his feet as you nocked an arrow onto your bow and pulled the string back, barely using the sights as you bought the bow up and released the string watching as the arrow speared through the mans neck.

You reloaded your bow and fired an arrow into the unconscious Whisperers head, so he wouldn't wake up and try kill you. But, just as you released the string killing the last Whisperer the sound of a gun cocking filled the air. You knew that sound. That was the sound of Alpha's sawn-off shotgun. You were so fucked.

Slowly you turned around as you lowered your bow, knowing you'd be fighting a losing battle if you went against her shotgun with a bow and arrow. You barely had a second to look at the woman as you turned around, just getting a glimpse of her shocked and angry expression before she pulled the trigger.

Sudden pain exploded through your left thigh causing you to stagger back a few steps before falling backwards, your legs unable to hold you up as you dropped your bow and hit the ground. The pain flared through your thigh like it was on fire and you looked down in shock to find blood seeping through your jeans that was covered in small holes from the shotgun pellets.

You could see the pellets stuck in your skin through the holes in your jeans that was saturated in blood. There had to be over 10 pellets stuck in your thigh and if you weren't in so much pain you would have been relieved that it was sawn-off shotgun and that Alpha was standing a fair distance away because if she was standing any closer or had a normal shotgun, you would've been dead in an instant. Although, right now, you weren't entirely sure you weren't dying.

"Fuck." You groaned, dropping your head back down against the ground as you stared up at the sky towards the tree tops, black dots slowly clouding your vision before everything turned black.

-

"Why are you lying on the floor?" A familiar voice questioned and slowly you opened your eyes as you stared up a blurry ceiling and blinked a few times. "Hey, I asked you a question, sis." The voice said again and you froze.

You quickly sat up and looked around the room in confusion quickly realising that it was the apartment building you and Paul lived in with your friends before the world changed. But, before you could even say anything a figure sitting on the couch caught your attention and your eyes went wide in shock.

"Paul?" You questioned, staring at your brother who was sitting with his legs crossed on the end of the couch. His hair was a little shorter, just above his shoulders, but he still sported the same beard and dirty grey beanie.

"Looks like you got yourself into some trouble." Your brother observed, nodding towards you legs and you looked down spotting the shotgun pellets in your thigh under your bloodied jeans. You frowned staring at you leg for a second as you stood up and put weight on it, but it didn't hurt. You couldn't even feel it.

"Am I dead?" You asked in confusion, looking back over at your brother who chuckled and shook his head. "But you are... I saw you die.... I had to bury you and I-I..." You trailed off, tears rising in your eyes.

"I know, it's okay." He responded, standing up from the couch, but you just shook your head.

"No, it's not. How can that be okay? You're my brother, you're the only family I ever had and..." You trailed off again, shaking your head at yourself as Paul quickly closed the distance between the two of you and pulled you into a hug.

"It's okay." He whispered, his arms tightening around you as you cried into him. "It was my time and I played my part. It's okay."

"I miss you so much." You whimpered, wrapping your arms over his shoulders as you buried your face into the crook of his neck, not even caring that his hair was getting in your face.

"I miss you too, sis. But, it's time to wake up, you still have a life to live." He said, pulling away from you, but he kept his hands on your shoulders as he stared into your teary eyes.

"How? How do I move on with my life when the worst thing has happened? I can't do this without you." You whispered, but Paul just smiled as he wiped the tears from your cheeks.

"You're my twin sister and we'll always be siblings and I'll always be with you, Y/N. No matter what." He said, brushing the hair out of your face.

"No matter what." You repeated causing Paul to smile as he nodded and took a step back.

"Now, you need to wake." He instructed, his tone turning serious before everything turned black.

When you opened your eyes again, you weren't staring at the ceiling to your apartment, you were staring at the full moon peaking out between the tree tops, but the second you tried to move sudden pair erupted through your left leg. Well, you were definitely awake now.

"You come in here, slaughter my people while they sleep and think you can get away with it?" Alpha's voice questioned and you glanced to your left to find her still standing where she had been earlier, the shotgun hanging low in her hands.

"You left out the part about trapping your herd in the quarry." You commented through gritted teeth and the look on the woman's face just made the whole thing worth it as her eyes narrowed in your direction.

Pain skyrocketed through your thigh as you forced yourself to stand up. Trying to keep the pressure off it and for a moment you thought you were just going to fall over again, but you managed to keep your footing as you stood up straight and sized the woman up.

"You really think you can beat me?" She questioned in disbelief and you just shrugged.

"Put down the gun and prove how strong you are." You challenged, knowing it was the only way you might have a shot at actually beating her. One more shot from that shotgun and you were done for, but to your relief the woman just nodded, tossing her weapon to the side as she began to walk over to you.

You were so shocked that she actually threw the gun away that you didn't even have a moment to prepare yourself as her fist collided against the side of your face, sending you stumbling back a few steps.

Pain flared across your cheek, but it was nothing compared to the searing pair in your thigh as you managed to keep yourself standing.

"This is just pathetic. Surely you knew that your plan was suicide. Why come here and risk everything to try and kill me?" Alpha asked curiously, cracking her knuckles as she began to walk towards you again, but this time you were ready.

The moment her fist reared back, you ducked and slammed your own fist against her stomach before punching her in the face and despite the pain it caused your leg, you grinned watching the woman drop to the ground.

"You took everything from me." You growled, forcing yourself to stand up straight as Alpha struggled to get to her feet.

"I don't even know who you are." Alpha scoffed, getting to her feet as she pulled a knife from her belt.

"You will." You responded, pulling out your brothers sword that you still had attached to your belt as you held it out in front of you and sudden realisation flashed across Alpha's face.

"Wait, you were there when that ninja guy died in the cemetery, right? I remember you. I remember watching when you fell apart the second my man stabbed your friend through the heart. I remember hearing you scream like it was you who actually got stabbed, but it wasn't. It was that ninja guy." Alpha explained, clearly realising that she hit a nerve as she grinned.

"His name was Paul Rovia and he was my twin brother. He was the leader of Hilltop. He was a good man and your people killed him!" You yelled, your hands tightening around your brother's sword as angry tears threatened to spill from your eyes.

"Actually, I killed him. I gave the order to kill. Your brother died because of me." She stated and for a moment you just stood there as you tried to process what she just said, but a second later all you saw was red as you charged.

The pain in your leg not even registering as you sprinted towards her, grabbing her arm with your free hand just in time to stop her from stabbing you. You squeezed your hand around her wrist tightly causing her to drop the knife with a gasp of pain.

"This is for Enid. For Tara. For Henry. For everyone you have ever hurt and killed, this is for them." You said and in a split second you twisted her arm up behind her back, ignoring her pleading to let her go as you held her body in front of you.

"And this..." You began to say as you stabbed the sword into Alpha's back and through her heart until the end of the blade was sticking out her chest as you leant forward until your mouth was beside her ear. "...this is for my brother." You whispered, pulling the sword out as you took a step back and watched as her body dropped to the ground, dead.

For a moment you contemplated on letting her turn, but she liked the walkers. She liked pretending to be one, she liked living amongst them. So, you weren't going to give her the luxury of ever becoming one.

You limped back over to your bow and quiver that was lying on the ground, picking them up as you slung your quiver over your shoulder before nocking an arrow onto the string. Once you were standing above her body, you drew the bow back aiming at her face from point blank and released the string as the arrow shot through her eye socket. It was over. The Whisperers were dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I’m back. Sorry for going MIA for a while guys, but I’m back. I posted something on my Tumblr explaining why I was gone for a bit, but I won't write it all here. My tumblr username is sourwolf-sterek32 for anyone who wants to know. 
> 
> Anyway, there is only one more chapter left! I hope you guys are liking this fic and I promise you won’t have to wait long for the final chapter.   
> Until next time, stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


	17. Chapter 17

You managed to pull a jacket off one of the dead Whisperers and tied it around your thigh to try and slow the bleeding. But, there was only so much you could do with the shotgun pellets still lodged inside your thigh.

After collecting your machete from the ground and sheathing your brothers sword, you began to make your way back to the cabin. But, you were really starting to regret leaving your quad bike back at the cabin as you limped through the woods.

You got halfway to the cabin when snow started to fall causing you to frown slightly because the whole point of the Whisperers moving out here during the winter was to get away from the snow, but it was snowing here anyway. If it was snowing out here, you could only imagine how bad it must be snowing back home, but that wasn't your problem at the moment.

Pulling your jacket on tighter you forced yourself to keep moving despite the searing pain piercing through your thigh after every step. You've been shot before, twice actually and it fucking hurts. But, the pellets weren't in too far and it was just your thigh, so as long as you could keep the bleeding down, you knew you would be fine.

By the time you finally made it back to the cabin the snow had started to fall harder and the wind began to pick up. So, you figured it was a good idea to stay inside the cabin until the weather got better because there was no point freezing to death on your quad bike.

***Meanwhile***

Daryl made sure Lydia had something to eat for breakfast at Kingdom while they all waited for the group from Hilltop to arrive. They were bringing their horse carts to help cart the children and elderly from Kingdom safely back to Hilltop.

He kept looking around the community from where he sat with Lydia at a small table while the young girl ate, wondering where Y/N was. She said she'd meet them here, but Carol said she hadn't arrived yet which set alarm bells off in his head.

Y/N was always on time. If she said she'd be somewhere then she was always there and he couldn't shrug the feeling that something bad has happened, but Carol told him to stop worrying. She said that Y/N probably had a lot to do at Hilltop and decided to come with the rest of the group and will be here soon. He hoped Carol was right, but he still couldn't shrug the feeling of something being wrong.

The second the front gates of Kingdom opened he was up on his feet, muttering a small 'stay here' to Lydia before he jogged over to the group closely followed by Carol as his eyes scanned the group, but he couldn't find her.

"Where's Y/N?" Carol spoke up first as she walked over to Magna and Yumiko who were leading the group and Daryl followed, not liking the sudden confused looks on the other two women.

"I thought she was meeting us at Kingdom? She's not here?" Magna questioned, glancing around the area and Carol shook her head. "Shit." Magna sighed, rubbing her face with her hands.

"Where's Y/N?" Lydia's voice suddenly asked and he looked over his shoulder to find the young girl walking towards them. The three other women all dropped their heads and Daryl was starting to get the feeling that they knew something he didn't. "Oh no." Lydia said, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at the other women in disbelief.

"'Oh no'? The hells goin' on? What ain't ya tellin' me?" He questioned, a little louder than he probably should have, catching Michonne, Ezekiel and Aaron's attention as they began to walk over to them.

"She went after Alpha." Yumiko answered and his head quickly snapped around towards her in pure shock. Y/N did what? No, she wouldn't try go after the Whisperers, especially not Alpha. She wouldn't do that, not without telling him. It didn't make any sense.

"She did what?" Michonne questioned in shock and Daryl didn't even realise she had joined them, but glad she did because he couldn't find the words to speak right now as he began to pace left and right, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Nah, she wouldn't do that without tellin' me." He muttered, biting his thumb nail as he stared at the ground while pacing.

"She didn't tell you because she didn't want to put you in danger." Carol began to say as he lifted his head to stare at her in shock. She knew about this too?

"She couldn't live with it. The pikes were the last straw and even if Alpha didn't do that, it wouldn't have mattered. They killed Jesus. They killed her twin brother, we all knew she wouldn't let this go. She asked us to help her." Carol said motioning towards Magna and Yumiko who both nodded.

"We helped her. We trapped the Whisperers herd, they're all stuck inside a quarry and they can't get out... But, Y/N went after Alpha by herself, she wouldn't let us help her." Yumiko explained and Daryl stared at her for a moment as he tried to process everything they were telling him.

"Ya sayin' that ya let her go off against Alpha 'n the rest of her people alone!" He shouted, taking a step towards the three of them in anger before Aaron suddenly grabbed his shoulders and held him back.

"Once Y/N has her mind set on something, there's no stopping her. You know that better than anyone." The other man said and Daryl sighed, rubbing his face with his hands because he was right. Y/N was too damn stubborn and persistent to let someone stop her. If she wanted to do something then she was going to do it, end of story.

"This doesn't mean anything. Maybe she just ran out of fuel on her bike and she's waiting for us back at Hilltop?" Ezekiel spoke up for the first time and everyone nodded in agreement, but Daryl couldn't help the sinking feeling he had in his stomach at the idea of Y/N being out there alone, against the Whisperers.

"Ya better be right." He muttered, glaring at the group of them before he stormed off, knowing that if he stayed there talking to them he end up lashing at one of them.

-

You stayed the night at the cabin, making a small fire in the fireplace to keep warm and by late afternoon the snow storm died down enough for you to hit the road again. You continued to ride through the following night easily enough with the light bar you had hooked up to the front of the quad bike that lit up the area in front of you like it was daylight.

It was early morning when you finally spotted Alexandra's walls in the distance. The snow was a lot thicker now, but your quad could easily handle the snowy roads, luckily because walking all this way with your leg was not an option.

There were a few people out the front of the community shoveling snow out the way of the gate while another used a broom to dust the snow off the sign on the wall.

You didn't recognise the people out the front or the man standing on guard duty, but they must have recognised you by their happy smiles and waves as you nodded back to them. You didn't even have to say anything before the man on guard duty opened the gate and you rode through, parking your quad by the wall and flicking the engine off just as a dogs bark filled the air.

"Dog, no!" Judith's voice yelled and you turned around spotting Dog racing towards you with Judith running after him in panic until she saw you sitting on the bike and her face broke out in a giant smile.

"Hey, boy." You chuckled, patting Dog as he jumped up against your quad bike trying to lick you as you patted him. "Thank you for looking after him." You said, looking over at Judith as she reached your side. Her cheeks were red from the cold, but she was layered from head to toe in warm clothes so that was a relief.

"Your bleeding." Judith gasped, her hand reaching out towards your thigh before she pulled away not wanting to touch the bloodied cloth you had wrapped around it in case she hurt you. "Come on, you need to see Siddiq." She insisted and you just nodded not wanting to argue with the girl as you grabbed your bow and threw it over your shoulder before carefully climbing off the bike.

Your leg nearly buckled from underneath you when you put pressure on it, but Judith was right there beside you, her hands grabbing your stomach to stop you from tumbling to the ground. It took a few seconds, but you eventually got your balance and began limping towards the infirmary while Judith held your hand, not wanting you to fall over.

"Aunt Y/N's hurt." She shouted, pushing the door open, her small hand still holding yours tightly and you looked around the room shocked to find Negan sitting on one of the beds while Siddiq stitched a wound on his thigh. It's been over six years since you last saw Negan and how the hell did he hurt himself while inside the cell?

"What?" Siddiq questioned, quickly turning around on his chair as he looked away from Negan to find you and Judith standing in the doorway. His eyes instantly flew down to your thigh where the bloodied cloth was tied and his eyes went wide in shock.

"Well shit, that doesn't look good." Negan commented causing you to glare at him.

"Language." Judith warned and you couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped your lips watching as Negan raised his hands slightly in an apologetic surrender. Well, she was the boss of him these days. A lot has a definitely changed in six years.

"I'm fine, finish fixing his sorry ass. I'm just gonna sit down." You said, limping over to one of the chairs across the room and Judith followed, sitting down on the chair beside you while Siddiq eyed you with a questioning look.

"I'm alright, it's not the first time I've been shot." You reassured, glancing over at Negan when you said the last part causing the grin on his face to disappear as he thought back to the line up. How you tried stopping Dwight from taking Daryl and Negan shot you, point blank. He damn near killed you. You should have died, you couldn't even figure out how you survived, but you did.

While Siddiq finished stitching up Negans thigh they explained to you what happened last night and how Judith went after Dog in the snow storm and Negan went after her. You were kinda torn between wanting to thank Negan for saving them, but wanting to punch the guy for everything he had ever done, so you just chose not to do anything, but nod to indicate that you heard them.

"Hey, Ezekiel just radioed through from Hilltop, they all made it safely, but they wanted to know if Y/N was here, but-" Rosita's voice began to say and you looked up to find her walking through the front door with baby Paul in her arms, but the second she spotted you she stopped talking and sighed with relief.

"They said you went after the Whisperers... That's why you wanted the explosives, right? Holy shit, they think you're dead. Daryl and Lydia think you're dead!" Rosita exclaimed as she rushed over to you and leant down pulling you into a hug being careful of Paul and her baby bump that was fairly pronounced now, but you hugged her back.

"Yeah, that's why I couldn't tell you what the explosives were for." You answered as she pulled away and you gently took Paul from her arms as you rested him on your lap smiling as he babbled happily. "Can you go tell them over the radio that I'm alive?" You asked and Rosita nodded.

"Daryl and the others are on their way back already, but I'll radio the others. Judith come with me, Y/N needs to rest." She said and Judith quickly jumped from her chair and followed her out the room before you turned your attention back to your son sitting on your lap as you adjusted the small blue beanie on his head.

A few minutes later Siddiq began unwrapping the cloth around your thigh while you cradled Paul to your chest who was slowly starting to fall asleep. Siddiq ended up cutting a large whole in your jeans around the shotgun wound, since you wouldn't be able to pull your jeans down without bumping the wound.

"There's 12 pellets stuck in your thigh." Siddiq stated, cringing slightly as he stared at your bloodied skin covered in small silver pellets. You could feel Negan watching you from the other side of the room, but to your relief he stayed quiet while you tried to focus on Paul who's head was resting against your shoulder as you held him against your chest, fast asleep.

"I'm sorry, but this will hurt." The doctor warned, grabbing a pair of tweezers as he glanced between you and your bloodied thigh and you just nodded before he began to fish out the pellets one at a time.

You ended up biting the collar of your jacket to stop yourself from making any noise as Siddiq carefully plucked the pellets from your skin and dropped them in the steel bucket by his feet.

"You went after them alone? You got some serious balls, Y/N." Negan stated and you glanced away from your bloodied thigh over at Negan who was still sitting on the other bed with his injured leg propped up on a couple of pillows.

"They needed to be killed." You simply answered trying to keep your anger in check. They were dead, you killed them and you thought that it would make things easier, that it would make you feel better. It did make you feel better, knowing that they couldn't hurt any more people, but it didn't bring your brother back.

"You killed all of them? There's no more Whisperers?" Siddiq asked, stopping what he was doing and looking up at you with a hint of hope flashing across his eyes and you just nodded. "Thank God." The doctor sighed as he continued to pull the pellets out slowly.

You sat there, biting into the collar of your jacket, trying your best not to scream every time Siddiq pulled a pellet out. Your entire thigh burned in pain as you squeezed your eyes shut trying to stop the tears of pain falling from your eyes. You were not going to cry, not in front of Negan.

It felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes before Siddiq finally got the last shotgun pellet out before he cleaned all the wounds and wrapped your thigh in thick bandages. He instructed you to just sit down for a while and give the painkillers some time to kick in before you got up and started walking. You reluctantly agreed as you gently stroked Paul's back who was still asleep against your chest as you sat there.

Siddiq left the room a few minutes later to go check on the rest of the community after the snow storm, leaving you and Negan alone in the infirmary. You didn't bother saying anything to the other man, it was years ago when the war with the Saviours started and you wanted to kill him back then. Hell, a part of you still wants to kill him now, but he saved Judith's life. He saved Rick's little girl and that was something you weren't going to forget.

"We never got to talk after everything went down, but I'm sorry." Negan began to say and you looked over at him to find already looking at you. "I know it doesn't change anything, but I didn't mean to shoot you that day. You just jumped up out of nowhere trying to get to Daryl and I panicked."

"I know." You replied, clearly catching Negan off guard as he stared at you in confusion. "I saw the look on your face after you pulled the trigger. You were almost as shocked as I was. But, I still hate you. Not for shooting me, but for what you and your men did to Daryl, I won't ever forgive you for hurting my husband or killing Glenn and Abraham... but, thank you for saving Judith." You said sincerely because you meant that. If you had lost Judith after everything that had happened... you couldn't even think about that.

"That's fair enough." He answered with a nod before the door to the infirmary opened and Judith ran inside.

"They're back!" She shouted in pure joy and you sighed with relief and stood up, wincing slightly as you put pressure on your bad leg. You adjusted your hold on Paul before following Judith outside, just in time to see the front gate open and the group walked in.

You instantly spotted Daryl wearing his poncho with his head lowered before Aaron spotted you limping down the snow filled street and he quickly bumped Daryl's shoulder and pointed towards you.

Daryl looked up in confusion, not sure what the other man wanted him to see before his eyes landed on you and froze for a split second before he sprinted towards you.

Neither of you said anything as Daryl reached your side, crashing your lips together as he kissed you before he wrapped his arms around you and hugged you tightly, being mindful of Paul still asleep against your chest as you hugged him back with your free arm.

"I thought ya were dead. Don't ever do that again. Don't ya ever do anythin' like that again, ya hear me?" Daryl repeated, pulling away slightly as silent tears fell down his cheeks and you just nodded staring at him through teary eyes.

"I'm sorry." You whispered, but Daryl just shook his head as he wrapped his arm back around you and you held you against his chest. "I couldn't let them get away with what they did... I just couldn't..." You trailed off unable to finish your sentence as tears began to fall down your cheeks and Daryl just hugged you tighter as he kissed the top of your head.

"I know, baby. I know." He replied, as you pulled away slightly and Daryl leant down and kissed Paul's head before you spotted Lydia walking towards you slowly with teary eyes, clearly thinking you were dead too.

"Come here." You said holding your arm out and Lydia immediately ran over to the two of you as you pulled the young girl into a tight hug and Daryl wrapped his arms around the two of you, holding you both.

"Y/N, what happened? Did you kill them?" Michonne's voice questioned a few seconds later and you pulled away from the two of them and looked up to find Michonne and the others all walking over to you.

"Yeah, they're all dead. Her herd is stuck inside a quarry, they can't get out. The Whisperers won't be bothering us ever again." You explained and to your surprise everyone began to cheer causing you to chuckle slightly as Daryl kissed the side of your head, his arm still wrapped over your shoulders.

"Mommy." Judith's voice called and you watched as she turned around and rushed over to her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug. You smiled watching the two of them before she spotted RJ a few metres away playing in the snow.

"Little ass-kicker." Daryl suddenly called out and you glanced over at him just in time to find him bending down and grabbing a ball of snow before he stood back up and threw the snowball in the little girls direction. The snowball hit the ground by her feet and you knew Daryl missed on purpose causing Judith to squeal as she copied what he did and threw a snowball towards him.

"Snowball fight!" Aaron's voice suddenly shouted and you watched as him and Daryl began making snowballs while Judith, RJ and Michonne began ganging up on the two of them, throwing snowballs in their direction causing you and Lydia to laugh.

"I think Daryl and Aaron need backup." You commented, glancing over at Lydia who's eyes lit up at the idea, a small smile forming on the young girls lips as you nodded towards the group and she quickly joined in.

Suddenly, Paul began to squirm in your arms and you looked down realising that he was now awake. You smiled sitting him up against the side of your hip as he pointed towards Daryl and Lydia standing side by side taking turns throwing snowballs at RJ and Judith who were doing the same thing.

"Who's going to win?" You asked, looking down at your baby boy who cooed happily, kicking his little legs out in enjoyment as Daryl copped a snowball in the back from RJ causing you to chuckle as you watched the group laughing and playing.

Your brother would have loved this. He would have loved meeting Lydia and your baby boy. He would have loved to be here fighting with snowballs beside Daryl and Aaron, surrounded by the people you loved. He would have loved to see this, but deep down you knew he could. You never truly lose the people that you love, even to death. They're still here with you and you knew Paul would be happy watching this.

"Hey, the war's over. Come have some fun." Michonne said and you looked over to find her standing beside you, holding out a snowball in her hand causing you to grin. You took the snowball with your free hand, glancing down at Paul in your other arm before you looked over at the group and joined in.

-

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that’s it. This fic has come to an end and i really hope you guys liked my own version of the Whisper arc, i wrote this all before the trailer for Season 10 aired, so i had no idea what was going to happen during that season. But, i enjoyed creating my own ending and i hope you all did too.
> 
> I would love to hear your thoughts about this fic below, i know it hasn’t got as much attention as attention as my other fics, but i still enjoyed writing. Anyway, i will posting a small preview to my next fic soon on my tumbler sourwolf-sterek32 , so stay tuned guys.
> 
> Until next time, stay safe everyone and have a great day xx


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